Zimbabwe sitting on huge deposits of rare-earth minerals, President Mnangagwa

By Samuel Abuya

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has said that his country is sitting on what he has termed as “huge deposits of rare-earth minerals that could be second largest after that of China”. Mnangagwa was speaking on Sunday, 23 June 2019 in an interview.

He, however, said the extent of the reserves is not yet known as of now but confirmed he has been  made aware that the deposits are big enough to compete with that of China’s which is estimated to be around 30 percent of the total world’s rare-earth mineral reserves. The minerals are really sought after in the production of electronics, wind turbines and vehicle components.

“Anyway, this is an early discovery as far as we are concerned at government level and policy level, but I am informed that this is a very lucrative discovery,” Mnangagwa is quoted as saying.

Mnangagwa said his government will embark on looking at how Zimbabwe will explore the minerals because, as it stands, the country does not have the required technology and the necessary skills to establish what exactly the minerals are.

Usually, rare-earth minerals are mostly used in the production of fibre optics, television screens, fertilizers, and laser. They are also used in the manufacture of chemicals used to treat water.

Zimbabwe has been having harsh economic times from the era of former President Robert Mugabe until now. In the event that the minerals are found, that might be a game changer to a country that has seen many of its population languishing in utter poverty even after the former regime repossessed fertile lands from the whites in a bid to give it back to the locals.

President Mnangagwa is however set to start compensating those whose land was forcefully and unlawfully taken by the Mugabe regime.

Africa Global News Publication