Mimosa mine

Mimosa mine
Location
	Mimosa mine
	Midlands Province
Country	Zimbabwe
Coordinates	20°19′40.44″S 29°49′31.08″E / 20.3279000°S 29.8253000°E
Production
Products	platinum

The Mimosa mine is a large underground mine located in the southern part of Zimbabwe in the Zvishavane District of Midlands Province. Mimosa was the first platinum mine in the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe.^[1] It had, as of 2012, platinum reserves estimated at 7.9 million ozs of platinum.^[2] The mine produces around 120,000 oz of platinum/year.^[2]

History

1. 1926 - 60oz extracted from oxides. 2. 1966 - 2 vertical shafts sunk – trial mining – 40 000 t processed. 3. 1971 - Operations suspended. 4. 1975 - Blore Shaft established – 90 000 t processed. 5. 1978 - Operations suspended. 6. 1990 - Bulk sample to Mintek for test work. 7. 1990/94 - Reserve estimates and feasibility studies completed. 8. 1995 - Current operations started @ 212tpd. 9. 2003 - Current process – 4050tpd.

Ownership

Mimosa is wholly owned by Mimosa Investments Limited, a Mauritius-based company jointly held by Implats and Sibanye-Stillwater in a 50:50 joint-venture.^[2]

Geology

The Mimosa Mine is located on the Wedza Geological Complex in the Zimbabwean Great Dyke east of Bulawayo.^[3]

Expansion summary

1. Capital cost US$38.1million 2. Funding – US$30 million Implats equity – Operational flows 3. Mill commission – Nov 2002 4. Full mill throughput – Jan 2003 5. Full mining tonnage – Sept 2003

Mineral processing

1. Design from Mintek test work and past operations 2. 3 stage crushing 2MF circuit 4e recoveries – 80.6% 3. Produce final concentrate 4. Road transport concentrate to Implats 5. Long-term concentrate off take agreement

Notes and references

^ Nyoni, Mthandazo (5 October 2022). "Mimosa Mine mulls US$100m shaft expansion". Newsday. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Mimosa". Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Statement 2012. financialresults.co.za. 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014.
^ Prendergast, M. D. (1991). "The Wedza–Mimosa platinum deposit, Great Dyke, Zimbabwe: layering and stratiform PGE mineralization in a narrow mafic magma chamber". Geological Magazine. Vol. 128, no. 3. pp. 235–249. doi:10.1017/S0016756800022081.

20°19′04″S 29°50′12″E / 20.3179°S 29.8368°E / -20.3179; 29.8368

[1] Nyoni, Mthandazo (5 October 2022). "Mimosa Mine mulls US$100m shaft expansion". Newsday. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.

[Mittersill-2] "Mimosa". Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Statement 2012. financialresults.co.za. 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014.

[3] Prendergast, M. D. (1991). "The Wedza–Mimosa platinum deposit, Great Dyke, Zimbabwe: layering and stratiform PGE mineralization in a narrow mafic magma chamber". Geological Magazine. Vol. 128, no. 3. pp. 235–249. doi:10.1017/S0016756800022081.

[1]

[2]

[3]