Govt plans to resuscitate Iron Duke Mine

RYAN CHIGOCHE

Government is planning to resuscitate Iron Duke Mine in Mazowe district, Mashonaland Central Province as it seeks to get the raw materials required in the manufacturing of fertiliser.

Formerly controlled by Hong Kong firm, Shuning Fund, Iron Duke Mine, which ceased operations in 2008, has pyrite deposits. The acid is used for burning phosphate rock that is used in the production of sulphuric acid which in turn is used by fertilizer manufacturing companies.

Mines and Mining Development deputy minister Polite Kambamura said Zimbabwe has a number of minerals which are crucial in agriculture such as the phosphates which are used for fertiliser manufacturing lime.

“We have Iron Duke Mine, which used to provide sulphuric acids which are needed for the production of fertiliser. The Government is working towards the resuscitation of the mine so that the country is self-sufficient in fertiliser production,” Kambamura said.

In November 2020, the government announced a “use it or lose it policy’’ to develop idle mining assets in an attempt to remove inefficiencies and stimulate growth in the mining sector.

Iron Duke Mine used to supply Zimphos with pyrites for the manufacturing of fertiliser, while the bulk of it was exported to the Zambian Copperbelt province where it is used as a catalyst in the smelting of copper and cobalt.

Production at the mine was halted because of power outages and unavailability of funds to purchase various mining input materials.

Zimbabwe requires about 600,000 tonnes of fertilisers a year, with 70% going to government farming programmes.

Government is working on supporting incremental production of fertiliser.

Kambamura said the resuscitation of Iron Duke was critical to achieve the fertiliser self-sufficiency target.