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Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
President Mnangagwa’s global invitation after showcasing Government’s investment policy thrust is the twitch-factor that attracted Bravura to seek mining investment opportunities in the country, the company’s top executive has said.

Bravura executive vice chairman Mr Benedict Peters said President Mnangagwa’s assurance that Zimbabwe is Open for Business, was enough to seduce them to come to Zimbabwe.

Mr Peters was speaking during the ground-breaking and signing ceremony of the Agreement for the Concession to Bravura of The Maflox Claims in the Selous area on the Great Dyke.

The claim, measuring approximately 3000 hectares, is situated 70 kilometres south-west of Harare in what is known as the Hartley Platinum Complex.

“Your Excellency, your policy thrust and announcements are too appealing to resist, and are central to the reasons why we are here,” said Mr Peters.

“We see in Zimbabwe, a nation immeasurably blessed with immense natural resources; a dedicated and resourceful people; and now, blessed with a committed Government hugely endorsed by the faith, trust and confidence of a deserving citizenry.

“These combination of positives have attracted us to Zimbabwe, and by our involvement in this venture, we re-assert and reiterate our unequivocal confirmation that we are here fully, completely and totally committed to aiding the continuing development of the economy of Zimbabwe for the good and well-being of its good people.”

Addressing the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, last year, President Mnangagwa told the global community that “Zimbabwe is Open for Business”, and was undertaking a raft of economic and political reforms to ensure an environment that facilitates inclusive and sustained economic growth.

Last month, the President in his Independence Day address, affirmed his previous statements placing enhanced emphasis on the development of the mining sector.

Mr Peters said as the Government seeks to open its vast mineral resources in the Maflox Claims in the Selous area to experienced regional players for mutually beneficial exploitation, their company was committed to aiding Government’s plans to actualise these objectives.

“Bravura has therefore expressed interest in those resources and wishes to develop a relationship with the Republic of Zimbabwe in order to carry out the exploration, exploitation and processing of minerals in Zimbabwe,” he said. “This is what produced the mutually agreed commitments that have led us to the event of today. This investment collaboration emphasises the importance of both economic growth and human security,” he said.

Mr Peters added that economic growth was the biggest contributor to poverty reduction hence his company seeks to beneficiate the natural resources and put the end-product to use in improving the immediate and wider community as well as the country’s fortunes.

“We know poverty reduction is central to the objectives of the country as a whole. But we also need to pay attention to unavoidable down-side risks of mineral beneficiation such as the environmental effects of mining activities,” he said. “We, at Bravura, conduct our operations with environmental security as a recurring cornerstone of our work policy.”

beneficial partnership laden with the benefits of economic empowerment for the good people of Zimbabwe.