Zimbabwe can earn US$12 billion from one mine so let us start small – MP says

Full contribution

HON. GORERINO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for this opportunity.  I would like to add my voice to the motion by Hon. Dr. Khupe, seconded by Hon. Gabbuza.  Mr. Speaker Sir, this is an important subject to Zimbabwe considering the fact that what Hon. Dr. Khupe said is important in the fact that we are now living in the fourth generation whereby beneficiation of minerals is the way to go.  It is not about the gas issue but the whole set of minerals in the country.  We have more than 200 minerals that we can beneficiate in the country and make the $12 billion dollar economy from the mining sector a success.  If you look at the world’s index, you would find that Zimbabwe has only mined not more than 15% of the total reserve that we have in the country on all the minerals.  When we go to the gas issue, it is only 4% that we have managed to mine so far so good.  When it comes to coal, it is only 6%.  The highest mineral that we have mined so much is the gold mineral which is about 121/2% or so.  It means that we are still sitting on our pride.  We are still sitting on our minerals.  We have not exhausted them.

If we talk of coal beneficiation, we have not done anything.  Yes, we accept and Government has tried so many times to have investors that can help them in that sector.  I once participated in a certain project in the gas industry.  You would find the quality of gas that we have in the country is top notch.  It is not most of these discoveries which you get outside.  The quality of our coal is the best.  The quality of our gold, if you go on the world market, they can simply tell you that this is from Zimbabwe.  Even the diamonds, they can simply tell you this is from Zimbabwe.  Even the tourmalines, when you go and sell in Singapore, it is easy for buyers to identify our minerals by just seeing them on the trade.  So, I am saying it is not too late for Zimbabwe.  It is not too late for the Government and I would want Government to take heed of this motion by Hon. Dr. Khupe to start the process because we have only exhausted 4% of our coal which means 96% of the reserve which we think we have has not been touched.

All the reports that were done during the colonial era about these projects, the unfortunate thing is we were left with nothing.  If you want to access that document right now, they will charge you US$100 thousand to get that document – either it is a geo report or a beneficiation report.  Like what Hon. Togarepi has said, most of this information and most of these minerals, people who are sitting on claims or on concessions that hold these vast resources are not using them.  If you go to Singapore Stock Exchange, you will be shocked.  Three quarters of mineral companies that are listed there are listing on Zimbabwean minerals.  We talk of the Matabeleland Gorge where Hon. Gabuzza mentioned, three quarters of the claims there have done geological reports and these reports have been done through SAM recording.  SAM recording is a concept whereby you take coordinates from a certain borehole that you drill to make sure you ascertain the resource.  If you go to Singapore Stock Exchange, those companies are racking in millions if not billions from untapped resources in Zimbabwe, just by listing.  If you come back home, we are talking of beneficiation yet someone has already beneficiated for himself in his pocket to a tune of over 200 million on the stock exchange but a lot of Zimbabweans are suffering.  They are not even accessing that money.  It is just traded in the Singapore Stock Exchange.  The money remains there – what does the person do next? He comes to Zimbabwe, do a marketing plan and the next thing he puts one or two excavators and that investment is worth two or three million; the rest of the millions are outside the country.

This petition is very important to us because it has got a lot of benefits to us.  There are a lot of advantages in beneficiating our minerals especially coal because it comes with a lot of bi-products, approximately ten.  All these bi-products are on demand on the world market.  If you look as SASSOL, it is the same that we are crying for but you will find that like what Hon. Togarepi have said – we are now in a market where we have vultures.  Once Zimbabwe starts to process its own minerals, we have a better advantage over everyone because we stand to have the better quality of our minerals.

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