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Zimbabwe

Zimplats Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Gold
  • Rhodium
  • Ruthenium
  • Iridium
  • Nickel
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Room-and-pillar
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SnapshotZimplats operates four underground mines and a concentrator at Ngezi. The Selous Metallurgical Complex (SMC), located some 77 kilometres north of the underground operations, comprises a concentrator and a smelter.

Zimplats mining operations ramped up volumes and new milling capacity was commissioned.

The third concentrator was commissioned at the end of September 2022 and optimised to installed capacity during the period. Production was impacted by power constraints across the national grid in March 2023, but benefited from higher mining volumes from all production units. There was a higher development rate at Ngwarati, an improved contractor performance at Mupfuti, and volumes at both Bimha and Mupani mines continued to ramp up, which offset the closure of Rukodzi at the end of June 2022.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. 87 % Indirect
Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Private) Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Zimplats Holdings Limited is a subsidiary (87% shareholding) of Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats). The remaining 13% is owned by independent shareholders. Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Private) Limited is a majority owned operating subsidiary of Zimplats Holdings Limited.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Magmatic

Summary:

The Great Dyke of Zimbabwe developed as a series of initially discrete magma chamber compartments, which coalesced as the chambers filled.

The Great Dyke has been sub-divided into five sub-chambers, namely the Wedza, Selukwe (Shurugwi), Sebakwe, Darwendale and Musengezi sub-chambers. The stratigraphic units in each sub-chamber are classified into the ultramafic (lower) and the mafic (upper) sequence. The ultramafic rocks are dominated from the base upwards by dunite, harzburgite and pyroxenite, while the mafic rocks consist mainly of gabbro and gabbronorite. Thin layers of chromitite occur at the bottom of cyclic units throughout the ultramafic sequences.

The PGM-bearing horizon is known as the Main Sulphide Zone (MSZ), which is part of the lower sequence and is located below the contact with the mafic sequence. The MSZ is located in the P1 pyroxenite, from 5m to about 50m below the ultramafic/mafic contact. The MSZ is a continuous layer, 2m to 10m thick, and forms an elongated basin. The zone strikes north-northeast, dips between 5° and 20° on the margins, and flattens towards the axis (centre) of the basin. Peak base metal and PGM values are offset vertically, with palladium peaking at the base, platinum in the centre and nickel towards the top.

Mining occurs in areas where the dip is less than 9°, referred to as the MSZ ‘Flats’, and areas with dips between 9° and 14°, which are referred to as the ‘MSZ Upper Ores I’ areas (UOR I). Currently no mining takes place in areas with a dip above 14°, which are referred to as the ‘MSZ Upper Ores II’ (UOR II).

Zimplats operation cuts obliquely across the 2m to 10m thick platinum-bearing MSZ orebody with an approximate north-northeast strike distance of 16km at Ngezi in the south, where the Mupani, Bimha, Mupfuti, Rukodzi and Ngwarati portals are located. Further to the north, at the Hartley Complex, the MSZ orebody extends over a 9km north-northeast strike distance. It is evident on the schematic that the MSZ orebody is a continuous layer within the Great Dyke. East-west striking fault structures form natural boundaries between the portal areas at Ngezi. The MSZ lithologies dip at between 5° and 20° near the margins and flatten towards the central part of the Great Dyke to form a flat-lying floor. The general mining infrastructure at Ngezi is located on the western side of the Great Dyke, where the orebody is accessed by portals.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
6E (Pt,Pd,Rh,Au,Ir,Ru) koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe580578602617406
Platinum koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe270271281290190
Palladium koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe223223233236155
Rhodium koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2424252617
Nickel t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5,2954,9315,1115,4343,887
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe32,55529,20729,21130,57821,692
Ruthenium oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe20,50920,78022,26522,710
Iridium oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe9,7629,68710,72910,625
All production numbers are expressed as metal in matte. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6.4 Mt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6,682,896 t6,800,518 t7,017,169 t6,579,686 t5,234,507 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6,485,512 t6,569,817 t6,715,963 t6,406,187 t5,163,499 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs 6E (Pt,Pd,Rh,Au,Ir,Ru) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 600 / oz   615 / oz   583 / oz  
Cash costs Platinum USD  ....  Subscribe 1,288 / oz   1,313 / oz   1,249 / oz  
Cash costs Platinum USD -329 / oz **   -14 / oz **   271 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Platinum USD 216 / oz **   418 / oz **  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20232022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 67  61  57  54  54  54  52  51  

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 115   135.7   63.3  
Revenue M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 8,954  ZAR 7,485  ZAR 7,038  ZAR
Gross profit M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 2,662  ZAR 2,045  ZAR 1,285  ZAR
Pre-tax Income M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
After-tax Income M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,899  ZAR 40  ZAR 576  ZAR
EBITDA M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 4,015  ZAR 2,992  ZAR
Operating Cash Flow M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

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EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
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Aerial view:

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