Source: Minister warns against proxy mining deals, illegal sale of claims – herald
Nqobile Bhebhe
Zimpapers Business Hub
MINES and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura has issued a stern warning to individuals acting as proxies in the sale of mining claims, saying the Government will soon move in with policy measures to restore order and protect national mineral resources.
Speaking at the International Business Conference at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on Wednesday, Dr Kambamura said authorities had noted an increase in cases where locals are fronting for external investors and selling mining rights, often in irregular arrangements.
“But we also noticed that there are those people who are selling mining rights, basically all those who will be acting as proxies, those who will be selling their mining title in the name of selling to investors. So be warned: very soon we are going to come up with that policy pronouncement,” he said.
Dr Kambamura said the Government is finalising a comprehensive policy intervention targeting the small-scale mining sector, which has seen increased investor interest but also rising cases of disorderly and speculative activities.
“We noticed that there are those who are coming to invest in the small-scale mining sector. We have looked at that and come up with a policy intervention for small-scale mining for Zimbabweans.
“We are going to come up with a policy statement on that one. We have one Zimbabwe, and we have those minerals that are finite. When they are finished, they are gone,” he said.
The minister said the forthcoming framework will introduce stricter conditions for investment, including minimum capital thresholds and verification processes to ensure transparency and accountability.
“So we are going to come up with an investment capital threshold whereby those who are coming cannot just invest haphazardly.
“They need to come through the Ministry of Finance, get approved on what they have deposited at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as their investment capital. We have seen some already engaging with locals for some hectares of land. That is going to be a thing of the past. We have to protect our people,” he said.
Dr Kambamura said the new measures are meant to curb haphazard mining practices, safeguard the country’s finite mineral resources and ensure that Zimbabweans derive maximum benefit from the sector.
In addition, the Government is working on a classification framework for minerals, which will categorise resources into strategic, critical and other segments to guide investment and exploitation. “We have also come up with a structure to classify our minerals into strategic minerals and critical minerals. They have classified metallurgical coal as a special critical mineral so that they open up investment in the coal sector,” he said.
Dr Kambamura also revealed plans to unlock the country’s vast coal reserves and expand thermal power generation capacity to support industrial growth.
The minister also told delegates that there are plans to open up coal deposits and build thermal power plants to support the beneficiation demand track.
“We are going right round, and people are saying there is no electricity, yet we are blessed with billions of tonnes of coal. So once we do that and declare coal as a special critical mineral, we will now find investments for our growth to open up our coal deposits using clean coal technologies,” he said.
The planned policy interventions are expected to bring greater regulation, attract meaningful investment and promote sustainable mining practices in line with national development goals.
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