Zimpapers Logo

Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Reporter
Government has been urged to take advantage of locally available expertise in mining exploration in its endeavour to fully map the country’s resource base and plan for its sustainable exploitation.

Last week, Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando said Zimbabwe had no record of its untapped mineral resources because of absence of meaningful exploration work.

The minister said much of available exploration data was done before Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980, and there was need to get a better appreciation of what lay beneath the surface. In an interview with The Herald yesterday, the commercial director of Aerosurv, Mr Nick Taruvinga, said skills and equipment were locally available to conduct such work on a national scale.

Aerosurv, in partnership with Xcalibur, conducts airborne exploration work for both governments and private companies. The firm uses aeroplanes and helicopters to collect, process and interpret geological data; and then provides specialised advice based on the results to clients in the fields of mineral, oil gas, engineering and environment.

Mr Taruvinga said: “We have partnered Xcalibur to bring this technology to the disposal of Zimbabwean mining firms and so far we are the only geophysical airborne operator to provide surveys with specialised aircraft in Zimbabwe.

“The skills and equipment are locally available and there is no need for Government and the private sector to struggle to get reliable data on what resources the country has.” He said Aerosurv had seven specialised aircraft and two PAC 750s for exploration work.

“With extensive experience in undertaking large-scale national projects, we can conduct an ultra-high resolution countrywide airborne geophysical survey of Zimbabwe utilising the latest in airborne geophysics technology.

“The technology and the skills are right here in Zimbabwe and are ready to contribute to President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa’s vision of a prosperous nation,” he  said. Xcalibur recently conducted exploration of approximately 75 percent of Angola, and has carried out similar projects in Botswana, Togo, the DRC and Lebanon.

In the private sector, the firm has done exploration work for mining majors like Rio Tinto, Anglo American and De Beers, among others.