Home Mining Top 5 Mining Headline Stories of the Week.

Top 5 Mining Headline Stories of the Week.

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By Moses Charedzera

Zimasco takes measures to protect workers from Covid-19

THE Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (Zimasco) says it has instituted measures to protect its workforce from the novel Coronavirus ahead of the re-opening of its chrome smelting plant in Kwekwe.

The company, which has 450 full-time employees and 500 contract workers, halted production in April after Covid-19 affected its markets in Europe, Asia and China. Zimasco Kwekwe general manager, Namatai Mapfumo, and group health and quality assurance manager, Bright Chitiki, told the media during a tour of the plant that they were not leaving any loopholes in implementing Covid-19 guidelines and regulations outlined by the Government and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Four Zimasco workers tested positive to Covid-19 during tests conducted ahead of re-opening. The company has drafted a Covid-19 safety and health policy document as well as set up a Covid-19 response team. Source: Chronicle

Salary Arrears Threaten State-Owned Diamond Miner’s Operations

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) is currently battling to remain operations amid workers’ unrest over unpaid salaries dating back to April, the company workers have told 263Chat.

Well-placed sources at the government-owned diamond entity say the situation is dire and has been compounded by the recent failure of the company to provide food for its workers.
Operations have been reportedly halted as the company is failing to procure fuel for the plant machinery due to financial challenges worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The company is failing to buy fuel, you know we have dumpers, excavators among other machinery which need fuel to operate.
“At Portal A at plant B, almost 300 workers used to come to work, only five people or some just above five are now coming to work at the plant every day just to do safety talk,” said a worker on condition of anonymity. Source: 263 chat

Chitando Dragged to Court in Row Over Gold Mining Claims

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A local mining company, Earthrow Investments (Pvt) Ltd has petitioned the High Court seeking an order barring another mining company called Pahasha Somalia Mining Syndicate, from prospecting, extracting and removing gold ore from its claims in Mudzi.

Through its legal practitioners, Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, Earthrow this week filed a court application seeking to be declared lawful owners of Koo Doo 62 and 63 mines whose claims measure about 50 hectares. In the application, the miners cited Mines minister Winston Chitando, Mines official, one Tendai Kashiri, Pahasha Somalia Mining Syndicate and the chief mining commissioner as co-respondents. Source: Zimbabwe Independent

Zimbabwe’s Gold Deliveries Decline By 73%

Zimbabwe’s gold deliveries in September fell by 73% to close at 1.36 tonnes from 2.8 tonnes in the comparative period in prior year.

The decline is attributed to a number of variables chief among them smuggling and the coronavirus pandemic which affected production.

Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR)’s general manager, Fradreck Kunaka, blamed Covid-19 pandemic as the major contributor to decline in gold deliveries and the late payments to gold producers. Source: Business Times

Sibanye-Stillwater says “downstream exposure” will be part of battery metals deal

NEAL Froneman put meat on the bones of Sibanye-Stillwater’s plans to enter the battery metals industry, saying a transaction would expose it to the downstream market, but would not involve a major transaction that typifies its growth so far.

“The transition into a platinum group metals (PGMs) producer was designed to be a full, quick step process, and material in terms of the size of the PGM business we wanted to create,” he said, referring to the firm’s R4.5bn takeover of Lonmin last year or the earlier acquisition of assets from Anglo American Platinum (Amplats).

The company is now the world’s largest platinum group metal producer. Including its gold mines, it employs about 80,000 people and is the second largest employer in South Africa after the country’s government.miningmx.com
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