a lot of noise about nothing!In exclusive interviews with The Zimbabwean, sources said Zimbabwe did not have the massive mineral deposits as pointed out in a secret document currently making its rounds all over the world.
The document claimed that 13 million tonnes of gold, 2.8 billion tonnes of platinum, 930 million tonnes of chromite and 4.5 million tonnes of nickel lay beneath the surface.
It further claimed that Zimbabwe had 26 billion tonnes of coal, a staggering 16.5 million “tonnes” of diamonds, 30 billion tonnes of iron ore, 5.2 million tonnes of copper and the largest known reserves of methane in southern Africa.
The Mines and Minerals Act Chapter 21;05 of 1996 governs Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
In the past, foreign investors could take up to 100 percent ownership in mining projects, though joint ventures with local investors were encouraged.
This has now changed to only 49 percent equity, courtesy of the Indigenisation Act.
In an interview a Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) official said : “The document you are referring to was prepared by our Public Relations Department and not the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (COMZ). You can talk to them for more information and how they got it.”
Nobody replied to frequent calls made to the ZIA’s Public Relations Department.
“One can only wonder where the ZIA get their information from, considering that the Geological Department at the University of Zimbabwe is in a tatters and has not been able to put geologists in the field for years,” said a worried source in an interview this week.
“The Geology Department at the UZ almost collapsed and has only been saved by some very determined individuals. The way the Zanu (PF) heavies have grabbed the diamonds in a feeding frenzy without any proper initial planning or survey to allow for proper development of the mine means that getting into hard rock is going to create problems.
“Diamonds are not measured in tonnes anyway! This all points to the document being a load of hogwash and a desire to baffle investors.”
The four-page, full colour glossy document claims that cash-strapped Zimbabwe has a staggering 16.5 million tonnes of diamonds in the Chiadzwa area in Manicaland Province, at Murowa and at the controversial River Ranch where former Army supremo, General Solomon Mujuru, has a huge stake.
The UZ refused to reveal the number of staff at its Geology Department, saying the information “is confidential”.
“What do you want to use it for?” a UZ official asked this reporter.
Meanwhile the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (COMZ) said “it has not seen the document”.
“I have not seen this document which you are talking about,” a senior COMZ official said. “This information was, therefore, not prepared by us here at the Chamber.”
The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), which is also cited as having helped produced the secret document made available to international investors at the launch of the ZIA’s One Stop Shop in Harare, also said it had “nothing to do with it”.
The ZIA had said it was joined by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development at Zimre House, the COMZ at Stewart House, and the MMCZ situated along Msasa Road in Harare in preparing the now controversial and embarrassing document – a copy of which is in our possession.
Post published in: News