Mimosa eyes increased output

Zvishavane-based platinum miner, Mimosa Mining Company has said it will increase production of the white metal to 110 000 ounces in the full year to June 2014, as it forges ahead with its expansion programme.

In 2013, Mimosa produced 100 000 ounces of platinum. Mimosa executive chairman Winston Chitando told New Ziana that next year the company would be implementing additional strategies to increase production.

"Every year we have been slowly increasing (production) tonnage - that is the style of Mimosa's expansion, slow incremental tonnage. In ounces we are looking at 110 000 ounces for the year," he said.

"This year we did a mortise which is coming on stream now to increase tonnage. And as we go into the financial year starting July, we will have some plans which at the moment are nothing as firm yet but we are doing feasibility studies of various scenarios."

Mimosa, jointly owned by Implats and Aquarius Platinum, is the country's second largest platinum miner after Zimplats. Zimbabwe has the second largest known platinum reserves in the world after South Africa with three main producers namely Zimplats, Unki and Mimosa. Government has given the three producers up to 2016 to set up a platinum refinery in the country as it moves to enforce a policy of local beneficiation of minerals.

The miners have since submitted to government plans for the platinum refinery. At present, platinum mined in Zimbabwe is sent to South Africa for processing.

The absence of a local refinery has resulted in the loss of revenue and job opportunities to the country.

Analysts contend that establishment of a refinery would significantly increase revenue, including recovery of mineral by-products from the platinum ore such as gold, nickel and copper. None of the mineral by-products are repatriated to Zimbabwe by the South African refiners at the moment.