[miningmx.com] – ZIMPLATS, the Zimbabwe unit of world number two platinum producer, Impala Platinum (Implats), said its open pit mine had contributed to a 19% jump in ore output for the June quarter.
The collapsed Bimha mine is also now being reworked, the company said. Teams were mining 87,000 tonnes of rock from access drives and points.
The open pit mine contributed about 105,693 tonnes. The company’s mining operations also received a boost from “… a general increase in production from the other underground mines”, the company said.
However, revenue for the period declined 41% to $64.6m, leading to a $31m loss for the period. The subdued revenues have been attributed to a 35% decrease in platinum group metal sales and “… a drop in the metal prices”.
Royalty payments for the period decreased 18% to $7m compared to the previous quarter. The lower royalty payments are in line with Zimplats’ lower sales revenue, it said.
The company, just like Mimosa – which is jointly owned by Implats and Aquarius Platinum – has started cost reduction programmes which will see it lay off an unspecified number of workers. Zimplats said on Friday that it has provisioned “for retrenchment costs”.
The Mupfupi mine is also being development for completion by 2016.
The company said it was on schedule to commission it’s refurbished smelter facility at Selous by the middle of next year in response to government pressure to speed up mineral beneficiation in Zimbabwe.
