Zimbabwe mines ministry steps up EPOs review

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is intensifying its review of Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs) as part of a broader effort to eliminate speculative land holding and unlock Zimbabwe's vast mineral potential for serious investors.

This follows the ministry's 2023 decision to halt the automatic renewal of EPOs - a regulatory shift designed to prevent large tracts of mineral-rich land from remaining idle under the control of inactive holders.

EPOs grant exclusive rights to prospect for specific minerals within a defined area, with a maximum allowable size of 65,000 hectares. Traditionally valid for three years, EPOs could previously be renewed almost by default. However, the ministry has now moved to tighten oversight and ensure that only credible, financially capable applicants are awarded or allowed to renew these rights.

“What we did directly was to look at EPOs which were expiring," said-PFungwa Kunaka, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, in an interview with NewsDay Business. “We know that from our inventory of EPOs, there were quite a good number which were expiring around March-April 2024."

Kunaka emphasised that EPOs were not suspended entirely, as some have speculated, but the automatic renewal process had been deliberately stopped to prevent disorderly land grabbing.

“In the past, we have had cases where, upon the expiry of an EPO, there is a rush in our properties by maybe a few people, or many people, who now rush to grab and peg in the areas that would have been freed," he said. “So, we took a step, and we are projecting to try to mitigate against that."

The ministry is now taking a more deliberate approach to EPO evaluations, focusing on applicants' technical and financial capacity to conduct exploration and progress towards production within set timeframes.

“Yes, in terms of consideration of EPOs, there are many applications, some are pending, but to consider them we have to be very careful," Kunaka said. “We are looking at the capacity of those who have applied, and also the time frames that they are given, for them to be able to undertake the exploration and gravitate towards production."

The issue of underutilised EPOs has long been a sore point in Zimbabwe's mining sector. Critics argue that lax regulation has enabled speculative land banking, which in turn stalls genuine mineral development.

A 2022 report by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) warned that weak oversight on EPO issuance and renewals was undermining sector growth. The report called for performance-based licensing and greater transparency in the allocation process to prevent hoarding and unlock investment.

The ministry's new strategy signals a policy shift aimed at ensuring Zimbabwe's mineral assets contribute meaningfully to economic growth, employment, and industrial development - rather than being held idle in anticipation of future windfalls.