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Source: Karo commences platinum exploration | The Herald February 22, 2019

Platinum

Martin Kadzere
Karo Mining Holdings has commenced exploration to delineate the platinum group metals (PGM) resource at its mining concession on Zimbabwe’s mineral rich Great Dyke. Located in Mhondoro-Ngezi mineral belt west of Harare where Zimplats — the country’s largest platinum company — has operations, the integrated US$4,2 billion project will also include a coal mine and a 300 megawatts (MW) solar plant.

On completion, it will be Zimbabwe’s largest integrated platinum mining and refinery operation.

“In the last quarter of 2018, Karo Platinum was awarded a development permit from the EMA (Environmental Management Agency),” said Karo in a statement on Wednesday.

“The development permit enabled Karo Platinum to initiate field work and the exploration drilling programme. The first drilling contractor has mobilised and has completed 72 diamond core boreholes totally over 12 000 metres. The drilling campaign is focused on the western edge of the Great Dyke on the mining location and the boreholes targeting average depths of 50 to 150m below surface.

“A second drilling contractor has recently mobilised on the eastern edge of the Great Dyke.”

Karo said the quality assurance and quality control programme was being carried out concurrently with the drilling programme. The results from the assay work and the metallurgical test work would form the basis of the next phase of the project, which include the continuation of drilling, resource estimation and feasibility studies for mine design, infrastructure and beneficiation plants, it added.

In consultation with the Zimbabwean Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), it was established that the 300MW of solar generated power would not be able to be fed into a single substation to the national grid. As such, a total of five sites have been identified to receive the solar generated power in 50MW modules.

The first site, closely located to the Karo Platinum project will receive the first 100MW in two modules and ZETDC has commissioned the necessary grid impact studies for the selected sites.

Karo Power, a subsidiary of Karo Holdings has appointed a technical consultant to conduct the feasibility studies and an environmental consultant to submit the environmental prospectus to the EMA and to complete the necessary EIA on all five sites.

Karo Power has had initial engagements with the Zimbabwean Energy Regulator (ZERA) around the power purchase agreement and independent power producer (IPP) licence.

Substantive negotiations regarding the power purchase agreement will commence with ZERA next month. Once finalised, the IPP licence can be applied for.

Tharisa acquired a 26,8 percent shareholding in Karo Mining Holdings, giving it access to a tier one PGM and base metal resource situated on the Great Dyke. The Great Dyke contains the world’s largest known PGM deposits outside of South Africa.

Apart from Zimplats, a unit of Impala Platinum Holdings, Anglo America also has operations on Great Dyke. Great Dyke Investments, a joint venture between Zimbabwe and Russia is also working on developing a platinum mine on the mineral belt in Darwerndale.

Part of the funding will come from Pan-African multilateral financial institution African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), while another Pan-African development finance institution Africa Finance Corporation, will also weigh in with additional funding. At least US$3 billion is expected to be spend on the project.

The post Karo commences platinum exploration appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Opposition parties in Zambia said Wednesday they will report President Edgar Lungu to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged political violence against his rivals. Ten opposition figures told journalists in Lusaka President Lungu was to blame for an increase in violent crackdowns on opponents, including main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema. They showed […]

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti reacts to the new monetary policy announced by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr John Mangudya.

Source: Former finance minister Tendai Biti reacts to new monetary policy – VIDEO – Nehanda TV

The post Former finance minister Tendai Biti reacts to new monetary policy – VIDEO  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

A TOP prison officer who was fired in 2015 after allegedly calling then First Lady Grace Mugabe a dog, has lost an appeal against his dismissal at the High Court. Before the dismissal, Ruben Zimondi was a superintendent with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) and officer-in-charge of Mutare Remand Prison. According to court […]

Source: Anti-corruption officials accused of theft | Newsday (News)

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

THREE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officials have been hauled before the courts on allegations of stealing cash and groceries belonging to a Mutare court official.

The trio, Tawanda Tandara (33), Pardon Chitembwe (42) and Farai Kambarami (32), who work as ZACC peace officers in Harare, appeared yesterday before Mutare magistrate Perseverance Makhala, who granted them $200 each and remanded them to March 6.

The complainant in the matter is Confidence Pasipatorwa (33), who is employed as an interpreter at Mutare Civil Court.

According to prosecutor Fletcher Karombe, the three accused persons approached the complainant at Bigbyte downtown shop on January 8, 2019 just after midnight.

Pasipatorwa was in the company of her brother Given, Tawanda Dongonda and an unidentified lady they had offered a lift to Dangamvura high-density suburb.

The three accused persons introduced themselves as officials from the anti-graft unit and they were on a mission to curb illegal smuggling of goods in Mutare.

Chitembwe allegedly asked Pasipatorwa to produce her declaration forms for the groceries they were off-loading and she complied.

The court heard that they then asked to see Given’s passport since he was the one who had brought the groceries from South Africa.

After opening the passport, Chitembwe came across R350, which he allegedly took away.

The accused persons then instructed the complainant to accompany them to Mutare Central Police Station saying they were under arrest for smuggling goods, and they complied.

The complainant entered into the accused persons’ vehicle along with Tandara and Kambarami, who was driving.

Chitembwe, Given, another unidentified lady and Tandara boarded a commuter omnibus, which was being driven by Tandara.

On their way to Mutare Central Police Station, Tandara asked for the complainant’s ID, who said she had left it at home.

Tandara then told Kambarami that they should go and collect it.

They went to Pasipatorwa’s home and on arrival, Tandara escorted her into her bedroom under the pretext that he wanted to check for other smuggled goods in the house, which he did and found nothing.

He, however, saw US$230 on top of a drawer and took it, claiming that she was illegally dealing in forex.

The accused then left the house and told the complainant to follow him outside.

When she followed him moments later, she found them gone.

Fortunately, the unidentified woman, who was in the commuter omnibus, had managed to scribble down the registration numbers of the accused persons’ vehicle before it disappeared.

She then handed the registration numbers to Pasipatorwa, who made a police report on January 10.

The accused persons were arrested on February 19.

The post Anti-corruption officials accused of theft appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.

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