By Wallace Mawire
South Africa’s Umzamo Analytical Services (UAS) is to open a pioneer
mineral processing laboratory in September 2018, according to
Ngonidzashe Mukuwanda, who visited Zimbabwe recently to assess
investment opportunities at the Zimbabwe mining investment conference
hosted in Harare on 27 to 28 February, 2018.
“This will be our pioneer mineral processing laboratory. Pioneer
in the sense that the first phase of our lab will be to provide
analytical services for chrome processing and coal mines. As we grow
we will provide analytical services for platinum, gold, lithium and
nickel,” Mukuwanda told African Review.
He also added that the main purpose of establishing a mineral
processing lab is to offer affordable, efficient, responsive, flexible
and uncompromised quality analytical services to the dynamic and
rapidly growing mining sector.
He said the need for analytical services cannot be over estimated
as it will optimise production and sales thereby promoting economical
growth and creating employment in the Zimbabwe.
It is also added that UAS Zimbabwe is a subsidiary of UAS South
Africa and has a recruitment strategy of recruiting locals to assist
the government of Zimbabwe in creating employment.
It is also reported that apart from analytical services, UAS will
also offer a substantive platform to train post graduates in the
analytical chemistry field.
Mukuwanda added that UAS has sound financial resources and is ready
to invest in Zimbabwe.UAS South Africa was established in January 2012 and has been
offering quality service to the coal mining sector.
Some of the services offered by the company include mechanical
sampling, preparation of samples, commissioning and management of coal
testing laboratories, plant efficiency testing including moisture in
analysis sample, just to mention a few.
Mineral testing focuses on minerals such as chrome, iron ore,
copper, platinum and gold.
