BY THOMAS CHIDAMBA PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Collins has partnered with Chinese Investors to pursue a gold mining project in Mutoko.
Radnor Mine, which sits on some of the country’s best goldfields in the Makaha area, is owned by ZimCN Investments, a joint venture between Collins and Chinese investors.
Collins, who spoke to NewsDay Business after commissioning hi-tech milling and leaching plants at the firm last week, said they were determined to transform Radnor into one of the biggest gold mining assets in Zimbabwe, which will give impetus to the country’s ambition to build a US$12 billion mining industry by 2023.
The new plants are expected to produce more than double the present output at Radnor Mine.
“Zimbabwe is very rich and blessed with minerals,” Collins told NewsDay Business.
“There is so much opportunity and potential for growth in the mining sector. Nothing can stop the country from attaining the targeted US$12 billion mining revenue by 2023,” he said.
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Collins said the company had potential to compete with, if not surpass, other players in the sector.
ZimCN Investments co-founder Chi Yingdan also told NewsDay Business that Radnor Mine will increase tonnage following the commissioning of the new plants.
“Basically, our approach to the asset that we have is going to use a three-pronged process of gold trapping,” he said.
“We are going to use the milling plant, our main plant and the heap leaching method. Within the next three months, we will reach the target of 10 000 tonnes a day. Looking at our claims, we have decided that low-grade ore will be taken to the open field for heap leaching.”
Yingdan said the new mill at Radnor Mine made it one of the best mines in the country.
“When it comes to the main plant, we will take the high-grade, preferably from two grammes per tonne and above. We are going to run the good grade at the main plant and the low grade as heap leaching and combining the two.
“I believe that we will reach a significant amount of tonnes to be processed in a day and become a highly competitive, if not the best mine in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Follow Thomas on Twitter @chidambathomas