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Tinashe Makichi Harare Bureau
LONDON stock exchange listed commodity firm, Premier African Minerals has completed the open pit mine design for its Kamativi tungsten project paving way for the mining concern to start developing the project.

An implementation study on open pit has already been completed while metallurgical test programme was completed in September this year. The mining company has also completed process plant design with tailings storage facility scheduled for January 2015.

Premier Africa chief executive George Roach said the company was now at an advanced stage to start the project.

He said underground channel sampling started this month while permitting metallurgical test work was completed by Peacocke and Simpson

“Ground water development is underway while underground mine rehabilitation is in full throttle. We have placed an order on the plant.

“Road construction, earthworks and civil are ongoing,” said Roache.

“1,000kg bulk ore sample from historic underground workings and 2,000kg bulk ore sample from historic tailings have been recorded.”

He said confirmatory assays and GAT test work was done by SGS, Johannesburg and the test flow sheet includes crush, screen, jig, spiral and tabling. Roache said the mine would require 450 kilowatts while an additional generator and grid line upgrade for the second phase is required. Premier African Minerals Limited is a multi-commodity exploration and development company focused in Southern and West Africa.

The group has a diverse portfolio of multi-commodity projects which includes tungsten, rare earth elements, gold, lithium, tantalum and uranium in Zimbabwe and Togo, which span from brownfield projects with near-term production potential to grass-roots exploration

The development of the tungsten project in Zimbabwe moved a step forward last year when the firm inked a non-binding memorandum of understanding with an industry off-take partner to supply tungsten from the site, which lies in the Kamativi Tin Belt.

Premier African Minerals has a 49 percent interest in the Kamativi project while the government of Zimbabwe has the remaining 51 percent. Roache said Blonton Consultants has commenced detail design for the project while the world tungsten demand is growing at an annual rate of approximately 4 to 5 percent.