The Great Dyke has been touted as the place of dreams- and it is easy to see why the dreams of chrome miners can easily come true.
The Great Dyke hosts a massive 12% of global reserves of chrome ore, second only to South Africa and estimated at 10 billion tonnes of ore and over 80% of the world’s resource of metallurgical chrome.
While the occurrence of other mineral reserves is at specific places, such as Wedza, Unki, Ngezi and Darwendale for PGMs, the Great Dyke chromite seam deposits span the entire dyke, giving rise to more numerous players mining the mineral.
Now, enter Zimasco, a well established giant in the mining and smelting of chrome in Zimbabwe.
Zimasco is the largest ferrochrome entity in the country. The company has chromite mining locations in Shurugwi, Mashava, Guinea Fowl, Lalapanzi, Ngezi and Mutorashanga along and just off the Great Dyke.
In addition to its operations Zimasco outsources mining activities to numerous small scale miners and contractors who are largely independent indigenous players, thereby contributing to the empowerment of the local people.
Zimasco is also involved in ferrochrome smelting at Kwekwe. The smelter produces a high carbon ferrochrome product and has annual production capacity of 180 000 tonnes. The smelting complex has five 18MVA submerged electric arch furnaces.
Zimasco’s ferrochrome is transported by rail to Maputo in Mozambique for onward shipment to customers in Europe, North America and the Far East.
The company is an active corporate citizen involved in many CSR initiatives such as graduate development, apprenticeship programmes and technical development courses.
Mining companies have been at the forefront of interventions and contributions against coronavirus and as part of its mitigation against covid -19, Zimasco donated equipment worth US$110 000 to Kwekwe District Hospital last year.
The donation included beds, medicine trolleys, computers, television sets, solar heaters, air conditioners and ECG machines.
The company has also donated boreholes to the local community to improve clean water supplies.
Zimasco recently resumed ferrochrome production after a stoppage lasting seven months.
In light of the contributions of such companies to the economy of the Great Dyke and the nation at large, YAFM radio station in collaboration with online television portal Great Dyke TV is hosting the inaugural Great Dyke Mining and Agricultural Awards on the 12th of February 2021.
The awards reward excellence and promote growth of mining and agricultural entities operating along the mineral rich region which is blessed with large reserves of PGMs, chrome, gold, nickel and other minerals.
