Zimbabwe’s Mines Ministry has shortlisted four bids by Chinese and South African companies to reopen the Kamativi mine in partnership with the state-owned mining company, the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
The four shortlisted bids were recommended to the Mines Ministry by the ZMDC, but the final approval of any deal will have to be made by Cabinet. The cost of reviving the operation is estimated at up to US$60 million. Some are sceptical that any of the bids will be successful: Local legislator Dexter Nduna commented that “since 2012, we have been fed with this talk of an investor that never materialises.”
The Kamativi mine, based in the Matabeleland North Province in western Zimbabwe, was operational for 58 years before closing in 1994 in response to low tin prices. The tin at the mine is pegmatite hosted and occurs along with tantalite, niobium, lithium and beryl. The original operation produced 37,000 tonnes of tin over its lifetime and at the time of closure had reserves of 4,435,000 tonnes of ore grading 0.195% Sn that could be exploited by open cast mining.
