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Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwha on Wednesday ruled out the lifting of a ban imposed three years ago on raw chrome exports‚ as the government holds its ground in enforcing beneficiation of raw materials by miners before minerals leave the country.
Zimbabwe holds the second-largest known chrome reserves in the world after South Africa.
Mr Chidakwha told delegates gathered at a mining conference — held alongside the Mining‚ Engineering and Transport (Mine-Entra) exhibition in Bulawayo — on Wednesday that lifting the ban was out of the question.
“You have no idea the pressure that the mines ministry goes through every single day from people who are looking for raw chrome and want us to lift the ban so that we can export‚” said Mr Chidakwha.
“We still stand fast and we will not allow the export of raw chrome. Why? Because it would defeat the objective set out by the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) and the objective of building a strong steel industry. The moment you start exporting raw chrome it reverses that purpose".
Mr Chidakwha said he was interested in attracting chrome companies that were prepared to set-up operations in the country.
Chrome production at peak produced 500‚000 tons a year and earned Zimbabwe $53m in 2011.
“Raw chrome will give us a quick buck‚ but it doesn’t give us a sustained future‚” he said.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) government‚ which unveiled its economic blueprint Zim-Asset last year‚ is ratcheting up demands for “beneficiation” and “value addition” of minerals before they are exported.
Platinum miners have been given until the end of 2015 to build a refinery.
JSE-listed Impala Platinum’s unit in Zimbabwe‚ Zimplats‚ earlier this year indicated that it was amenable to setting up a refinery on the back of increased annual platinum production of 500‚000 ounces from current annual production levels of 360‚000 ounces.
Zimplats is investing $100m into a platinum refinery‚ which it said would be completed in two years.
The Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines said it was in full support of government’s beneficiation efforts.
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- [Editor:sunzhichao]
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