A team of three Russian platinum mining experts who visited Zimbabwe last week is reported to have been impressed by what the country has to offer.

The Harare Herald has quoted the mines and mining development minister Edward Chindori-Chininga as saying that 'the team was impressed by the presentation by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and said they would relay their decision in writing after they return home.'

They spoke to ZMDC acting chief executive Dominic Mubayiwa and discussed the process of soil sampling (preliminary to exploration) being carried out next to Zimbabwe Platinum's Ngezi site.

The Russians were representatives of Norilsk Nickel, attracted to the country by its status as the world's second biggest container of platinum group metal (pgm) deposits.

Zimbabwe also enjoys a commercial edge over neighbour and rival South Africa as her platinum deposits are closer to the surface and therefore require less effort to extract.

Platinum is expected to overtake gold as Zimbabwe's second largest foreign currency earner some time during the next five years.