US$70 million chrome plant nears completion in Mashava

ZIMBABWE is poised to be a major chrome producer following revelations that the US$70 million chrome smelting company that is being constructed in Mashava is expected to start operating in October.

Chinese company, Zimbabwe Zhongxin Smelting Company is partnering with the Government of China and a local organisation in the construction of the plant.

Mashava area is rich in chrome and the local small scale miners are poised to benefit from the construction of the plant as they are to sell to the company at a negotiated price.

Zimbabwe Zhongxin Smelting Company general manger Mr Wang Lin Yi said that once the operations kick off at the site, about 300 workers will be hired.

“We are expecting to start operations in October this year and after we would have started production we are going to create employment for about 200 to 300 people. Our company will support the local chrome miners as they would bring their chrome and we buy at a negotiated price and they will also benefit from what we will produce here,” he said. As part of the corporate social responsibility, Mr Wang said they will build clinics, schools and roads for the local community. The plant, which is located in Mashava, 40km west of Masvingo, is expected to boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the province. The province boasts of vast water bodies and minerals and has banked on agriculture, mining and tourism to boost its GDP.

The province is working on bringing online two gold mines, one in Ngundu and the other one in Zaka. The development comes at a time when another Chinese company Tsingshan Holding Group is already developing Africa’s biggest iron ore mine and a carbon steel plant in Mvuma.

Tsingshan signed a $1-billion outline agreement with Zimbabwe in June 2018 to build a two-million-tonne-a-year steel plant.