Harare — A Zimbabwean court has barred a miner from exploring for gold on a huge Matabeleland South ranch owned by the Oppenheimer family, the super-rich former proprietors of De Beers Diamond Corporation and Anglo American.
The Oppenheimers, through their company Shangani Holistic, turned to the courts after a South African firm Pearline Mineral Exploration conducted an aerial geophysical survey of their Shangani Ranch on June 2.
Judge Siyabona Paul Musithu of the Harare High Court ruled that Pearline Mineral Exploration must halt all “mineral mining activities” at the property which employs 400 people and keeps at least 8 000 cattle for beef exports.
This is despite Pearline Mineral Exploration being one of companies with the government-issued exclusive prospecting orders (EPOs) in 2021 which gives it the rights to prospect for minerals over a 3-year period. The EPOs cover 65,000 hectares, according to the Government Gazette, and were issued by the Mining Affairs Board.
For the rest of this article: https://allafrica.com/stories/202207040429.html