Black granite miners to value add stones

MARONDERA- New companies have expressed an intention to value add black granite before
exportation, a provincial development report in possession of Chaminuka shows.
The first company to undertake the initiative is Rich Basin Minerals which commenced operations in
April last year after investing US$5 million in a granite cutting and polishing plant.
Natural Stone Export Company and Zimbabwe International Quarries are also investing in value
addition plants in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe under Ebene (Pvt) Ltd and Malstom Investments
respectively.
The plants are expected to commence production this year.
It is estimated that 150 000 tonnes of granite are produced annually in Zimbabwe, with Mutoko
contributing 75 percent of that output which is exported to countries such as China, United States of
America, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, Japan, Italy, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia and
Spain
Claudious Makwindi who chairs the province’s value addition and growth thematic committee said
this is a positive development for the province.
“Our committee mainly focuses on industry, mining, tourism and agriculture. These sectors are key
drivers of our economy as a province. There are companies that will start black granite value
addition in UMP. Rich Basin in Mutoko invested in deliberate beneficiation of the mineral in Mutoko
last year and invested US$5 million in the initiative.
“Very soon, Natural Stone Export Company and Zimbabwe International Quarry will be doing the
same at their plants,” he said.
The mining sector also witnessed new investment by Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) which
is valued at US$1 billion. Mining at the plant is expected to commence during the first quarter of this
year.
Furthermore, Prospect Lithium is constructing a plant whose annual input is expected be 4.5 million
tonnes per year with the pilot plant currently producing about 2 400 tonnes per month.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) says it is impressed by the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) compliance rate by the companies mining the black granite
in Mutoko.
An EIA is a process which identifies the environmental impacts of a development project and clearly
outlines measures to mitigate the negative impacts caused during project construction,
implementation and decommissioning.
In Zimbabwe, projects that require EIAs are listed in the first Schedule of the EMA Act (CAP 20:27)
and they include mining, quarrying and housing developments, among others.

Environmental Management Agency (EMA) education and publicity officer for Mashonaland East
Astus Mabwe told Chaminuka News that this had been necessitated by the regular inspections that
they make at the mining sites in the district.
According to the EMA database, there are 10 companies, among them Natural Stone, CRG,
Zimbabwe International Quarry, Ilford Red and Enterprises, that are extracting the black granite in
Mutoko.
“Granite mining companies in Mutoko have been forthcoming in terms of compliance with the EMA
Act Chapter 20:27. All of the companies operating in the district now have EIA certificates and all
relevant licenses that are issued by the agency in terms of the Act. As EMA, we continue to do
monitoring inspection to check on any deviations from license conditions,” Mabwe said