Jena Mines in botched cyanide deal

The Jena Mine has lost $77,000 in a botched cyanide deal with a South African company brokered by its general manager, Lovemore Nehanda, who flouted tender procedures despite warnings from his staff.

The company secretary, Marko Tondota, has resigned in protest and more officials are reportedly on their way out.

Documents in possession of The Zimbabwean indicate that the mine ordered the chemical from SIRA Mining Technologies. The purchase order, dated March 29, was signed by Nehanda and the Human Resources head, Nomsa Khumalo.

The money was transferred into SIRA’s Nedbank account via ZB Bank, Kwekwe branch. The consignment was supposed to arrive in April.

“Top officials say Nehanda refused to listen to their advice to scrutinise the credentials of the SA dealer before purchase,” said an inside source.

A lady who answered Nehanda’s phone and identified herself as Ester Chipito said he was too busy to respond to questions.

Jena Mine is the biggest gold producer in the province and employs about 500 people. It uses the underground method to extract the precious mineral while drawing power directly from Munyati Power Station after having constructed a power line at a cost of $100 million.

Post published in: News
Comments
  1. ken

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *