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Ishemunyoro Chingwere Business Reporter

The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) is seeking to enter into partnership for the exploitation of its chrome-rich claims in Guruve as Government agents move to align with authorities’ call to put all mining title to use.

The claims have previously been “sparsely” exploited but the State metals marketer is now seeking to put them to full exploitation including beneficiation.

To that end, MMCZ has already commissioned feasibility studies on the project which it expects to be done within a month in order to then present a feasibility backed project to potential investors.

“ . . . (MMCZ) would like to engage reputable companies to partner in the development of its chrome projects through mining, processing, beneficiation and value addition of chrome within its 40 blocks of claims occupying an area of about 1 464 hactares” said the minerals marketer in an advert yesterday.

“The claims which are located in the Horse Shoe section of the Great Dyke, Guruve District, are situated in three separate areas which are at least 8km apart.

“The project areas comprise 5 blocks occupying 125 hactares in Nyamanetsi area, 3 blocks occupying 89 hactares in the Judith area and 1 250 hactares in the Nyarusvisvi area.

“The claims host known chrome seams which have been sparsely exploited in the past, and resources of alluvial chrome.

“Feasibility studies on the projects are currently underway and will be completed within a month,” advised MMCZ.

Government is seeking to grow this year’s mineral export earnings to US$4,1 billion up from US$3,2 billion a haul that will signify a 28 percent increase.

The increase is further is expected to continue gradually to US$12 billion by 2023 and be an anchor to Government’s Vision 2030 by which Zimbabwe should be an upper middle income earning economy as expounded by President Mnangagwa.

Together with platinum, gold and diamonds, chrome is one of the four major minerals expected to drive the country’s earnings drive before other long-term projects like lithium begin to kick-in.

Plans will be boosted by the fact that Zimbabwe is not short of the resource as the country boast of the world’s second largest chrome ore resource at about 900 million tonnes out of a global estimate of 7,5 billion tonnes.

On the beneficiation front, Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando is on record saying Government is targeting a boom in the production of ferrochrome to at least 2 million tonnes per year up from 370 000 tonnes achieved last year.