is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; a freshly exposed surface has a reddish-orange color. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys. Copper production has been declining in recent years because of the depletion of known reserves and low exploration expenditure levels. Current copper production is associated with PGM operations. It is believed that enormous exploration potential remains.

is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile. Pure nickel shows a significant chemical activity that can be observed when nickel is powdered to maximize the exposed surface area on which reactions can occur, but larger pieces of the metal are slow to react with air at ambient conditions due to the formation of a protective oxide surface. Nickel: Among the base metals exploited in Zimbabwe, nickel dominates in terms of value. National production only peaked at 12 000 tonnes annually in 1999, but current production has fallen significantly largely due the adverse prices as well as the effects of retrogressive policies at play in the recent past. Production comes from several mines located on the greenstone belt and from PGM mining operations, as a by-product. With two operational nickel smelting and refining facilities, and favourable geological conditions for the existence of nickel deposits, investment into this area is encouraged. Nickel yields cobalt as a by-product.

The chrome ore resource, mostly along the Great Dyke, is categorised as world class, and considerable value adding takes place as the ore is processed into ferro-chrome alloys before export. There is scope for further value addition. Although there is a high demand for raw chrome in international markets, Zimbabwe has adopted a policy not to export raw chrome in order to encourage local beneficiation