The National Investment Trust (NIT) could revive its attempt to acquire a stake in Zimplats after securing the necessary funding to make an offer.

NIT has won around $60 million in financial support from a South African bank, with the group now set to try to relaunch a deal for 15 per cent of the pgm outfit that has long stalled.

NIT executive director Aaron Jeremiah told StandardBusiness that the empowerment group was now able to draw on funds, but did not identify which bank the group had dealt with.

"They (the SA bank) are prepared to fund us up to US$60 million so as to provide for any appreciation of the Zimplats stock price, which might go up especially with the expectations that output might go up and the end of the strike," Mr Jeremiah commented.

"Right now it would be premature to reveal the source of the funding as this could prejudice the whole deal," he added.

Plans to secure a stake in Zimplats follow on from part of a 1998 deal between the firm and the government to offload part of its shareholding to black-led offers.

Although NIT has struggled to stay in the running for the stake, Mr Jeremiah insisted that the trust had remained interested in the deal and said he had a fresh mandate from the government to continue looking for funds to finance such a transaction.