KELVIN KACHINGWE, BUTTYSON KANDIMBA
Lusaka, Solwezi
MINISTER of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Kabuswe says Government will secure a new investor for Mopani Copper Mines, which he describes as a critical asset for the Copperbelt, by the end of this quarter.
About 10 firms are interested in Mopani, which owns underground mines, a concentrator, smelter and refinery in Mufulira, open pits as well as a concentrator and cobalt plant in Kitwe.
Mr Kabuswe, who was speaking on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, did not name the firms interested in Mopani, which was acquired by ZCCM-IH from commodities giant Glencore’s subsidiary Carlisa Investments in 2021 through a US$1.5 billion debt, but did indicate that some Chinese firms are among those interested.
The minister said Government is open to any investor regardless of which part of the world they are coming from.
“There is interest from all over, including the Arab world,” he said, according to Reuters. “We are dealing with the Arab world, we are dealing with the US, we are dealing with China, we are not biased towards anyone. We are friendly to everybody.”
But one firm that has confirmed its interest in Mopani is Johannesburg-based Sibanye Stillwater, which is looking for CLICK TO READ MORE