Zimbabwe's government had made a fresh attempt to seize more than half of platinum producer Zimplats' mining land, the company said yesterday.
It said it received a new notice from President Robert Mugabe's administration on January 13 that the government wanted to seize the land and gave the company 30 days to lodge an objection.
This is the third time since February 2012 that the government has issued a notice to seize 27948ha of mining ground from Zimplats, the country's biggest platinum producer. It objects to the acquisition.
Zimplats, which is 87% owned by South Africa's Impala Platinum, owns a total of 48535ha in mining claims in Zimbabwe.
"Zimplats is engaging the government of Zimbabwe on the matter," the company said in its third-quarter results statement.
The company did not give further details on the issue.
Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa did not answer his cellphone when contacted for comment.
Mugabe's government has previously defended the decision to seize Zimplats land, saying the miner had an excessive amount of land and it wanted to distribute the claims to new companies.
Zimplats said profit for its third quarter ended December 31 rose 28% to $21-million due to higher platinum matte sales, which lifted to 133978oz from 100392oz previously.
The mining company ships its platinum matte for further processing at refineries in South Africa. - Reuters
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