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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) has awarded a tender to a local construction company to put up five weighbridges along the country’s major highways.

The weighbridges that would charge less than those at private properties and Vehicle Inspection depots, are expected to reduce the costs incurred by the small-scale chrome miners.

Of late, concerns have been raised by small-scale chrome producers over the high costs of weighing the mineral before it is sold to buyers.

Three of the yet-to-be built weighbridges would be specifically for chrome ore while the other two would cater for other minerals.

Responding to questions from the floor during the Chrome Miners’ Indaba in Gweru yesterday, MMCZ deputy general manager responsible for marketing Mr Masimba Chandavengerwa said a tender for the construction of the weighbridges has already been won and construction was expected to begin soon.

The weighbridges, he said would be set up along Harare-Beitbridge, Harare-Chirundu, Harare-Mutare, Gweru-Zvishavane roads and another in Harare South.

Mr Chandavengerwa said MMCZ would also set up rail weighbridges soon after road weighbridges were established.

“MMCZ has targeted five weighbridges; the tender has already been won and we are working on the paperwork so that the contractor starts work and I think that will happen very soon.

“We have also budgeted for rail weighbridges and that would be the second phase. We are aware that that some of our material is going out of the country without being properly weighed and where those weighing facilities are, they are very expensive,” he said.

For the purposes of chrome mining, he said there would be weighbridges between Gweru and Zvishavane in the Midlands province and one in Harare South

“And with this one (Harare South weighbridge), we are targeting material going South from the North Dyke. There is going to be one along the Beitbridge road, one for Chirundu road and also another one for Mutare for other minerals,” he said.

Mr Chandavengerwa told this paper on the sidelines of the chrome miners’ indaba that the plummeting of chrome ore prices on the international market was threatening viability of small-scale miners.

The indaba, which began on Tuesday ended yesterday.

In the past three months, chrome ore prices were hovering around $200 per tonne but have since fallen to around $90 per tonne due to the stockpiling of about two million tonnes by China which is the largest consumer of the commodity at the moment.

There are also reports that South Africa is selling to China cheap chrome ore.

“On average the cost of production per tonne should be around $45 because most of these guys’ mines are not that deep.

“We think at those price levels it’s still viable. The unfortunate part is that the buyers are not prepared to commit themselves as they fear prices might fall again,” he said.

To avoid stockpiling chrome ore, more smelters should be put up to process the chrome.

“Some of this crome ore should be bought by local companies with smelters,” said Mr Chandavengerwa.

@pchitumba1