This is actually a very thought-provoking point and got me thinking...
From the President's Twitter posts in the past, Mnangagwa often likes to walk around new facilities and showboat to the press what has been accomplished.
Now given that the rig has just been finally erected and maintenance is currently occurring, the site is still a
construction zone. I'd say that the immediate well-site is currently under the supervision of Exalo given it's their crew establishing the rig, therefore (still along with IVZ) they have a responsibility to ensure that the workplace is safe for the crew, only permitted individuals can enter etc...
When maintenance is complete, Exalo will hand back over the site to IVZ giving them the green tick that everything on their end is ready to go, IVZ just needs to give them the green light. So referring to your point
@SkyRain it will be at this point where IVZ will apply pressure on the government stating all is ready to go we are just waiting for such and such from you...
Given the significance of the drilling campaign for the country and what could provide major support for Mnangagwa in the presidential elections in 2023, I can guarantee you that he will want to conduct a tour of the site for local media outlets. We have seen in the past that the locals didn't believe that IVZ was a real company nor was there an upcoming exploration campaign in Zimbabwe... this will provide an opportunity to put those doubts to rest. Mnangagwa's beaming smile and big balls will be broadcasted all across the country and even the world... what a political opportunity for him.
Additionally, IMO we will likely have an official signing ceremony of the PPSA and Gazette at this site tour to continually boost Mnangagwa's public persona. Why sign now when there's no hype around the drill... media outlets don't have access to the site so are unable to effectively report on anything major. If signed now the locals will say 'so what does this actually mean for us?' There is no attached reference or understanding to what the PPSA does for them. Yet if there is a signing ceremony post-site tour, the locals will have an understanding of why the PPSA is so significant, especially when it's a first for the country. It makes complete sense from a news broadcast standpoint, first show the rig/site tour, interview with Scott/Stuart/Barry, Words from the President, PPSA signing ceremony, what the discovery could do for the country (aspirational ending). What would they report if Mnangagwa signed it now... a photo of the Exalo Rigs from IVZ's Twitter post...
So with this in mind, I don't believe that we will see the Gazette and PPSA
until the rig maintenance is complete. Then IMO Mnangagwa will swing by, do a site tour, have the signing ceremony and then our drill bit will bite the dirt
Hopefully, if there are no major complications, maintenance should only take 1 week. So IMO I will still hold firm to my belief that IVZ will be drilling in the next 2 weeks.
