Chidhakwa sleeps on the job

Daggers have been drawn against Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa for abetting the unending cash crunch by failing to put in place measures that will allow licensed chrome producers to resume chrome ore exports, undermining potentially profitable export base that could inject liquidity into the economy.

Raw chrome exports which are expected to resume in June after the lifting of a ban that had been in force since 2011 were anticipated to rescue the country from a prolonged liquidity crisis that has ruined the economy.

When Chidhakwa announced the lifting of the ban in June he said chrome exporters would sell 30 million tonnes of chrome ore to global market, all in all major chrome exporters are said to be sitting on chrome worth US$500 million enough to oil a cash starved economy.