Diversified mining firm, DTZ-OZGEO is yet to resume gold mining operations in Penhalonga, Manicaland Province, as it is still to fully comply with a directive from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to rehabilitate land where it has finished mining, a company official said on Tuesday.

DTZ-OZGEO’s alluvial mining operations were stopped by EMA last year after it decreed that the company should first concentrate on rehabilitation programmes before resuming operations.

The company is a joint venture between the Development Trust of Zimbabwe and Russian firm Econedra Limited and was established in 1994.

The company’s public relations and marketing manager, Clara Ngwenya said unavailability of adequate financial resources was hampering speedy implementation of the process.

“We are still in the process of doing that. We are more than 70 percent complete now, the authorities have been coming to monitor progress,” she said.

“I cannot give you a timeframe for completion of the process because we are encountering resource constraints since we are not operating.”

Ms Ngwenya could, however, not disclose the amount of money spent so far and how much was needed to finance the rehabilitation exercise.

According to the company’s website, at least $4,2 million has been used from 2009 to 2011 on land rehabilitation.

DTZ-OZGEO produced 487 kgs of gold in 2012 while last year before operations were stopped, the company had produced 282 kgs against a target of 523kg. The company was producing between 20-30 kgs of gold per month before its operations were halted.

DTZ-OZGEO has gold mining operations in Penhalonga while it also holds several prospecting projects which are at various stages of development in areas including Mutare and Gweru.

It recently ventured into diamond mining in the Chimanimani area of Manicaland Province, where it has been doing exploration work over the past two years. – New Ziana

 

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