Gold producer to construct 300 houses

Ishemunyoro Chingwere Business Reporter
Gold mining concern, Dallaglio Investments (Pvt) Limited, has announced plans to build over 300 houses in Mashonaland West Province near the group’s Pickstone Peerless Gold Mine in Chegutu area.

The move is part of the group’s strategy to mine in a manner that is beneficial to the community that it operates in and is in sync with President Mnangagwa’s policy thrust.

Dallaglio is already in an expansion drive that could culminate in the firm arguably becoming the country’s largest gold producer with a total haul of about four tonnes per annum within the next two years.

It is also a feeder to the Government’s 100 tonnes per year target, which is primed to generate US$4 billion a year in yellow metal exports.

It is, however, the housing scheme project that has excited Government and laid bare the group’s commitment to partake in community development and live a mark in the Chegutu community.

The housing project is being tailored along the lines of Turf Village, which was done by platinum mining behemoth, Zimplats in the same province.

To date, Dallaglio is in discussion with various stakeholders among them the local authority for the provision of land and expectations are that the project could be ready to go on the ground by end of this year.

“We are also looking into rolling out a low cost employee housing scheme for our staff, which is modelled along the likes of Turf Village by Zimplats,” said Mr Cornwell Dube, the group human resources manager for Dallaglio Investments.

“We seek to partner with our mining pension fund and other mortgage financiers on a beneficial arrangement.

“We believe by year end we should be able to present our proposal to our board as well as share with our important stakeholders our plans.

“We are excited by the prospects of the immense benefits that this project will bring to both our valued employees and the communities surrounding us,” he said.

Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando, who toured Pickstone Peerless on a familiarisation mission last Friday, described the project as an excellent one and also further appealed to the miner to consider other funding requests from the community to ensure the mining venture is beneficial to communities.

“I think this is an excellent project,” said Minister Chitando.

“Of course, the primary concern is to say let us ramp up production, let us have more investment to support growth but at the same time communities must benefit as laid out by His Excellency and I must say this is one such noble intervention,” he said.

Good corporate social responsibility entails companies to dedicate part of their profits to community development including building houses for workers in the same area, employing locals, constructing roads, provision of clean water, assisting with dip tanks among other key infrastructures.

Paying corporate tax to the Government alone will not make communities happy and protect the company’s expensive equipment.

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