AQUARIUS Platinum and Impala Platinum Holdings are assessing whether to dig a second shaft to expand production at their Mimosa platinum mine in Zimbabwe, Winston Chitando, chief executive of the operation, has said.
“We are in the process of undertaking a feasibility study,” Chitando said. “There is work taking place in assessing various options,” he said, declining to give further details.
Mimosa is one of three operating platinum mines in Zimbabwe, which has the second-biggest reserves of the metal after South Africa. Zimbabwe Platinum Mines, a unit of Johannesburg-based Impala, and Anglo American Platinum also run mines in the country.
Mimosa produced about 218,000 ounces of platinum group metals in its last financial year.
By law, mining companies operating in in the country must sell or cede 51 percent of their local assets to black citizens of the country or the government.
“There are discussions which are taking place with government,” Chitando said. “So far we are happy with them.”Advertisement