Zimbabwe will soon have a new platinum mine in the shape of the Unki facility in Shurugwi, government-owned newspaper the Chronicle has suggested.

The mine, which will be the second-largest operation in the country after Zimplats, will commence production in the near future as its $447 million development project nears completion.

Managing director Walter Nemasase revealed that the mine will be capable of processing about 5,000 tonnes of platinum ore per day, while 2,000 tonnes of copper ore are already waiting to be milled.

"Safety is a priority for any mining company and we are working on providing the highest standards of safety measures before we can have the human resource base that we believe will make us meet our target," he told the news provider.

An initial start date of October has been set for the facility, which is a subsidiary of Anglo American, the conglomerate that provided the $447 million figure.

The exploration and trial shaft for the Unki mine was completed in the 1980s and the project was originally scheduled to commence in 2007 after being announced four years earlier.

Anglo American has base metals, coal, diamonds, iron ore and platinum projects in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.

Source:

Unki Mine to commence operations in October (21/06/10)

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