Zimbabwe Chrome Mines, Claims & Ore-Supply Dashboard

1. Executive Investment View

Source-based screening; claim title, coordinates, resources and production require direct verification.

Geological Platform

Strong

Stratiform seams plus podiform bodies

Best First Corridor

Midlands

Shurugwi–Lalapanzi–Guinea Fowl

Preferred Entry

Stage-gated

No immediate large claim purchase

Critical Unknown

Claim data

No complete public mine database

Core Conclusion

Secure an option, tribute right or ore-supply agreement; verify title and geometry; complete bulk sampling and washability tests; then scale mining and beneficiation only after a smelter-approved product is demonstrated.

Low-regret entry

What Drives Value

Mineable continuity and mine life
Cr₂O₃ grade and Cr/Fe ratio
Gravity recovery and product yield
Delivered cost to an accepting smelter

Board Position

90 days

Approve target screening and bulk testwork only. Defer mine acquisition, permanent plant EPC and smelter investment until all six investment gates are passed.

2. Priority Ore-Supply Corridors

Select a corridor from the left panel or buttons below.

Selected Corridor

Deposit Character

Smelter Orientation

Subject to commercial contract

Screening Rank

Corridor Investment Thesis

Key Diligence Focus

Do not infer ownership: a nearby smelter or known producer presence does not establish ownership of every supplying mine.

Corridor Relative Ranking

Priority Corridor Table

Rank	Corridor	Investment interpretation

3. National Mining District Database

District	Province	Deposit	Mining character	Operating model	Likely smelter	Screening view

4. Verified Large-Scale & Integrated Platforms

Zimasco Mining Network

Highest-confidence integrated platform in the public record, with locations at Shurugwi, Mashava, south of Shurugwi, Guinea Fowl, Lalapanzi, Ngezi and Mutorashanga.

Owned/controlled mines plus contractors
South Dyke mixed podiform and seam supply
Middle Dyke surface and underground supply
North Dyke predominantly underground

Highest confidence

ZimAlloys Resource Platform

Historically extensive Great Dyke claims and tribute arrangements, but current mine-by-mine title, reserve and active-production status require direct confirmation.

Verify current claim schedule
Verify JORC/SAMREC resources
Verify tribute agreements
Quantify rehabilitation liabilities

Direct confirmation required

Afrochine & Jinan/Jin An

Important smelter and buyer platforms, but public sources do not provide a reliable mine-by-mine list of captive and contracted ore sources.

Obtain accepted ore specifications
Confirm supplier model
Confirm tolling or purchase openness
Do not map unverified ownership

Buyer / tolling focus

5. Small-Scale, Contractor & Tribute Supply Models

Commercial Models

Model	Advantage	Principal risk
Tribute mining	Known geology and buyer linkage	Short tenure and buyer dependence
Contract mining	No mine acquisition	Equipment, productivity and payment risk
Independent claim	Control and upside	Title, resource and market risk
Ore aggregation	Fast diversified volume	Grade fraud, moisture and illegal ore
Local-miner JV	Local access and aligned growth	Governance and funding disputes

Minimum Controls

Registered title, tribute or JV documents
Cadastral map and lawful-source verification
Independent sampling, moisture and weighbridge controls
Minimum-volume and quality terms
Rehabilitation allocation and HSE audit rights
Digital chain-of-custody and dispatch records

Preferred structure: one anchor source plus contracted satellite supply, with a central laboratory, weighbridge and blending system.

6. Ore Quality & Smelter Suitability

Critical Quality Parameters

Parameter	Why it matters	Required action
Cr₂O₃ head grade	Contained chrome and mass pull	Representative composited assays
Cr/Fe ratio	Alloy grade and furnace value	Confirm smelter-specific limits
SiO₂ / Al₂O₃	Slag and power consumption	Set contractual maxima
P / S	Potential alloy penalties	Certified assays and umpire method
Sizing / friability	Direct-sale and agglomeration need	Size-by-assay and degradation tests
Moisture	Payable dry tonnes and freight	Dry-basis pricing and calibration
Gravity recovery	Concentrate yield and tailings loss	Bench and pilot spiral testwork

Minimum Testwork Package

Mapping→Channel Sampling→RC / Diamond Drilling→Bulk Sample→Mineralogy→Washability→Smelter Matching

Model true seam width or pod geometry.
Include dilution and weathering in the bulk sample.
Test scrubbing, screening, spirals and magnetic separation where relevant.
Match final products to at least two prospective smelter specifications.
Characterise tailings and water-settling behaviour.

7. Mine Methods & Cost Drivers

The source report does not quantify transaction-specific mining costs.

Mining Method Risk Matrix

Mine type	Key cost driver	Typical failure
Shallow strip seam	Overburden, dilution and rehabilitation	Waste mining or seam loss
Underground narrow seam	Development, support and productivity	Dilution and slow advance
Podiform open pit	Continuity and selective mining	Unexpected pod termination
Small contractor	Equipment, fuel and supervision	Theft, unsafe work and irregular output
Alluvial/eluvial	Thickness, water and depletion	Rapid reserve exhaustion

Correct Cost Rule

Do not compare only US$/ROM tonne.
Compare the cost per recoverable tonne of contained Cr₂O₃ delivered to the smelter, including dilution, mining recovery, plant recovery, moisture and transport.

Currency Status

The source document does not provide validated acquisition prices, mine CAPEX, OPEX or per-tonne cost values. Those fields should remain unquantified until mine plans, quotes and route studies are available.

INR default · USD switch ready

8. Infrastructure & Logistics Screening

Mine-to-Smelter Corridors

Corridor	Closest node	Strength	Constraint
Shurugwi–Kwekwe	Zimasco	Short haul and strong services	Feeder-road condition
Lalapanzi–Gweru/Kwekwe	Multiple smelters	Choice of buyer and rail nodes	Exact route and bridge limits
Ngezi–Selous/Kwekwe	Afrochine / Zimasco	Large aggregation potential	Longer haul and wet season
Mutorashanga–Selous	Afrochine	Closer northern smelter	Underground cost and rural roads
Mashava–Gweru	Gweru smelters	Good trunk-road orientation	Resource continuity
Mberengwa–Gweru	Gweru smelters	Southern diversification	Long haul and fragmented supply

Route Data Required

GPS road route, not straight-line distance
Wet- and dry-season road condition
Bridge limits and community crossings
Truck payload, cycle time, backhaul and fuel
Weighbridge calibration and queue time
Rail siding feasibility at sufficient scale
Delivered-cost comparison to at least two smelters

9. Environmental, Social & Title Risks

Title & Encumbrance

Overlapping claims, expiry, tribute disputes and non-transferable rights.

Stop if unresolved

Land & Community

Access roads, pits and waste may affect communal or agricultural land.

Agreement required

Rehabilitation

Historic pits and disturbed ground can create liabilities larger than transaction value.

Cost before purchase

Water & Tailings

No project should proceed without a sustainable water source and acceptable discharge controls.

Hydrology gate

Safety

Unsupported workings and weak contractor systems require ground-control and HSE audits.

Corporate standard

Traceability

Every supplier must prove lawful source through KYC, permits and dispatch records.

Chain of custody

10. Acquisition & Partnership Screening

Target Structure Comparison

Target type	Attractiveness	Recommended structure
Operating mine with buyer history	High	Staged acquisition with warranties
Historic mine / dormant claim	Medium	Exclusive option plus drilling
Greenfield Great Dyke claim	Conditional	Consent-to-explore and fixed formula
Small-miner aggregation	High if controlled	Central buying, lab and long-term offtake
Tribute mining	High	Multi-year registered tribute
Mine + wash-plant JV	High	Pilot first, then modular plant

Preferred Transaction Logic

Exclusive Access→Title Check→Bulk Test→Buyer Match→Option / JV / Tribute→Scale

Capital discipline: do not pay a substantial acquisition price before legal title, mineable geometry, recovery, delivered margin and smelter acceptance are demonstrated.

11. Target Scoring Framework

Below 60/100 normally stops the transaction or returns it to exploration-only status.

Weighting by Criterion

Scoring Table

Criterion	Weight	Pass evidence

12. Recommended 90-Day Field Programme

Period	Action	Decision output
Days 1–15	Shortlist 10–15 targets, obtain title references and seller terms.	Reject unverifiable titles.
Days 15–30	Cadastral checks, site reconnaissance, GPS logistics and community screening.	Fatal-flaw and route-cost screen.
Days 30–50	Channel/stockpile sampling and historic-data audit.	Grade and variability view.
Days 50–70	Bulk sample, washability tests and two smelter/transport quotes.	Recovery, yield and delivered-value model.
Days 70–85	Preliminary mine plan, financial inputs, rehabilitation and transaction negotiation.	Downside investment case.
Days 85–90	Investment-committee review and option/JV/tribute term sheet.	Proceed, drill, renegotiate or reject.

13. Final Decision & Investment Gates

Recommended Business Model

Anchor ore source + contracted satellite supply + controlled sampling + modular wash plant after bulk testwork + domestic smelter offtake or toll-smelting agreement.

Reduces dependence on one uncertain claim.
Builds scale through contractors and tributors.
Improves blending and grade control.
Reduces raw-ore/concentrate export-policy exposure.
Preserves the option for later smelter integration.

Six Investment Gates

Gate	Proceed only if
1. Legal	Title or tribute rights are bankable and dispute-free.
2. Resource	Drilling supports adequate tonnes and mine life.
3. Product	Bulk test delivers a smelter-acceptable product.
4. Margin	Mine, wash and transport costs leave downside margin.
5. ESG	Water, land, closure and community risks are manageable.
6. Offtake	Written buyer or toll terms precede major plant CAPEX.

Board recommendation: approve a 90-day screening and bulk-test programme. Do not approve mine acquisition, permanent beneficiation EPC or smelter investment until all six gates are passed.