MIMOSA Mining Company has handed over 500 cattle under the livestock revitalisation programme as part of its community social responsibility initiatives, a senior official has said.
Mimosa Platinum Mine is a large underground mine located 24 kilometers west of Zvishavane town, in the Midlands province.
Speaking during the 2022 Midlands Agricultural Show at the weekend, general manager Stephen Ndiyamba said they had taken a deliberate move to invest in projects that impact on the lives of the communities which they operate in, so as to create a lasting legacy that would outlive mining operations.
“We have so far donated over 400 bulls and 159 heifers since the inception of the programme in 2015,” he said. “Furthermore in 2020, we launched the Artificial Insemination programme to complement the breeding bulls programme with the objective of accelerating the herd genetics and so far, the programme has had a success rate of 70 percent.”
Ndiyamba said in addition to the livestock revitalisation programme, they had refurbished dip tank infrastructure in the respective areas to meet the requirements of the Veterinary Services Department and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society, who are their partners in the programme.
He said Mimosa would be participating at the Midlands Agriculture Show as the annual exhibition offered a platform for business and sustainability issues. The company would be handing over a tractor to the show organisers as well as consider ways in which it could further assist and partner the show in putting up appropriate infrastructure to increase capacity, he said.
Ndiyamba encouraged other stakeholders to partner the Midlands Show Society and avail resources towards improving infrastructure and facilities at the showgrounds. He said the 163 companies that took part at the show was a positive signal that the annual event was growing.
Agriculture, he said, was one of the strategic drivers of the country’s economic growth as it provided employment to around 60 to 70 percent of the population. It also supplied 60 percent of raw materials needed in industry and contributed 17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, he said. — New Ziana