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Nelson Gahadza

Senior Business Reporter

Bravura Holdings has completed exploration work for its platinum project in Selous and is now conducting feasibility studies before actual mining and processing plant construction.

The consortium was awarded a 3 000-hectare concession in Selous, about 80km south of Harare, in 2019, upon which the company applied for an extension of the concession, which has since been granted.

Currently, Zimbabwe has three platinum producers, namely Zimplats, Mimosa, and Unki, while the fourth, Karo Resources, is targeting first ore production by 2025.

Bravura project geologist Mr Farirai Kambanje, during a tour of the project site, said post-Covid-19, the company did a lot of exploration to define the resource and is satisfied with the results.

“We did a lot of drilling on a grid of 250 by 250; therefore, we have enough to start mining. We did almost 40 000 metres of drilling using our own drilling rigs; we are confident of what we have,” he revealed.

He noted that a second evaluation opinion on the exploration results was conducted by an independent and competent person from South Africa

“We are confident of what we have underground; we know where it is; we know the drainage and grids,” said Mr Kambanje.

Bravura said civil and construction works will commence soon after the company gets all the necessary approavals.

The Government has been pushing mining companies to expedite the implementation of approved and licensed projects, which could play a part towards achieving the US$12 billion mining industry target.

According to the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC), Zimbabwe has the world’s third-largest known platinum group metals (PGM) resource along the mineral-rich Great Dyke, after South Africa and Russia.

According to Mr Kambanje, Bravura’s resources are relatively deeper compared to the other resources of mining and upcoming projects.

“If we look where Zimplats is currently mining or Unki in Shurugwi or Mimosa, those resources are basically on the western side of the grid line, which has general features that are generally different and generally shallow.

“But on the eastern side… the deposit is relatively deep. In fact, it is so deep that the surface exposures, or what we call the actual sub-backports, are actually about 13 metres deep. So, it is a relatively deep deposit, and that dismisses surface mining, giving the only option of underground mining,” he said.

Mining Engineer Mr Chenjerai Siyamanyanga said the company had since identified the position of the box cut and the processing plant and the company had since started working on a mining feasibility study.

“We have completed the pre-feasibility study, which we are currently advancing into a feasibility study. The plant will be at the shortest distance from the box cut,” he said.

He added that the company had completed a study that assessed all the hazards, risks, and modalities of operating the plant, including waste management.

“That has just been concluded and submitted to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), and we hope that after approval, we can start some work on the ground,” he said.

Dr Tafadzwa Murinzi, the Bravura lab manager, said the on-site exploration laboratory had equipment with capacity for platinum group metals (PGM) analysis and base metal equipment.

While Bravura continues to pursue approvals for the PGM mine, it has shifted focus to a lithium deposit in Kamativi, in Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe.

Dr Murinzi said the lithium mine would come on board much earlier than the Selous PGM project and was expected during the year.

Zimbabwe’s platinum production boomed in 2023, exceeding half a million ounces for the first time, but miners are grappling with slumping global prices and are resorting to cost-cutting measures to stay afloat.

For the first time, platinum production surged to a record 507 000 ounces (oz) last year, a 6 percent increase from 2022, driven by investments that boosted operational stability.

Zimbabwe has three active platinum mining companies namely Zimplats, Mimosa Mining Company and Unki Mine.

Several upcoming and expansion platinum projects valued at over US$8 billion are expected to position Zimbabwe as a global platinum powerhouse.