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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
DURATION Gold Limited group is set to add a second aircraft to speed up the recently launched airborne geophysical survey as the country moves towards the attainment of the US$12 billion mining milestone by 2023.

Through partnership with world leader Xcalibur Airborne Geophysical Surveys from South Africa, the programme will culminate in the country having a better appreciation of its mineral potential.

With a modern approach to airborne geophysical surveying, the radiometric and magnetic survey will be the second largest such endeavour of its kind, following another such project conducted in the 1980s.

Duration Gold Limited managing director, Mr Allan Dollan, said the survey will cover some 8 000 square kilometres of ground.

“Duration management has embarked on a truly exciting grassroots, multi-commodity, exploration initiative that recently launched last week,” he said.

“Duration Gold and its partners have commenced a major airborne geophysical survey of over 46 000 line kilometres to be flown by Xcalibur Geophyscial Surveys Ltd., an international leader in this field based in our neighbouring South Africa.

“The survey will cover some 8 000 square kilometres of ground with the data gathering component alone taking over four months to complete,” said Mr Dolan.

He said the survey represents one of the largest of its kind to ever be flown in Zimbabwe since the countrywide airborne survey undertaken by the Canadian International Development Agency in the 1980s.

“This ground-breaking programme unequivocally confirms Zimbabwe’s prospectivity and potential for new large scale mineral discoveries,” said Mr Dollan.

The gold mining company runs among other entities Vubachikwe Mine in Gwanda, the Athens Project, an advanced exploration project in Mvuma and the Gaika Project, another advanced exploration project in Kwekwe.

President Mnangagwa launched the US$12 billion mining industry strategic roadmap in 2019 and its targets are set to be met by 2023.

The mining sector is critical in generating foreign currency, contributing about 70 percent of the country’s forex earnings, largely driven by gold, platinum, and diamond.

Using data gathered from such airborne surveys, mining and exploration companies can assess their ground as quickly as possible and relinquish land to Government while they focus their high-risk capital exploring anomalies that have potential.

An anomaly is an area that shows potential to hold targeted minerals that can justify expanding further exploration capital in the hopes of discovering a mineral deposit.

According to experts, the addition of cutting-edge data to a nation’s existing geological infrastructure, or database, is also a good investment tool for Government as it helps to attract new exploration spend.

Once there is new data, a virtuous cycle is created.

More data attracts more exploration investment, both foreign and local, which continuously confirms the potential of a country for new discoveries and hence more exploration.

—  @Yolisswa