“Developing partnerships with our neighbouring communities is one of Zimplats’ top strategic objectives

Social investment

Zimplats

Our management approach to social investment

Developing partnerships with our neighbouring communities is one of Zimplats’ top strategic objectives. We have developed and are implementing a community development plan that seeks to address some of our neighbouring communities’ expectations and developmental priorities. These priorities have been identified through perception and baseline studies, as well as quarterly stakeholder meetings with community representatives, leaders and local chiefs.

Informed by these interactions, our community development plan focuses on education, health and income generating projects, with the aim of narrowing the gap in terms of community expectations relating to development needs such as clinics, agricultural activity, employment, construction of secondary and primary schools, clean water and sanitation, and food security. Through effective implementation of the plan we seek to further improve the level of communication and neighbourliness between Zimplats and our surrounding communities.

Dialogue with government is currently ongoing towards the conclusion of a substantive indigenisation implementation plan in which we seek credits for some social investment projects. We have reached agreement in principle on a 10% share for the community and 10% for employees. Our discussions are focusing primarily on the remaining 31%.

Our 2015 performance and achievements for social investment

The Zimbabwe operations’ social investment increased by 8% from US$4.9 million in 2014 to US$5.3 million thisyear. A detailed breakdown of our community investments is presented in the tables here. Following is a brief summary of the identified contribution associated with the US$974 000 worth of investments reviewed in 2015:

• Herd development project: We launched a three-year community herd development project that will benefit communities in two wards adjacent to Zimplats’ operations in Ngezi. The project aims to improve genetics and herd health and ultimately to contribute towards household nutrition and income generation. Current investment in this project is US$58 000
• Library extension: Zimplats has constructed an extension to the library at Chinhoyi University of Technology. The university has more than 7 000 students. The project scope comprised infrastructural extension to an existing library and provision of furniture at a cost of US$83 800.

The Zimplats Mhondoro Ngezi Chegutu Zvimba Community Share Ownership Trust was established in October 2011 as part of the company’s indigenisation implementation plan. To date the trust has implemented projects valued at more than US$4.5 million from the donation of US$10 million initially provided to the trust by the Company. More than 100 projects have been implemented through the trust in the three districts. These include projects relating to road construction and maintenance, rehabilitation of schools, construction of classroom blocks at more than 30 schools, sinking of boreholes to address access to potable water and the provision of infrastructure for income-generating projects.