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Prospectors slam Zimbabwe 'secretive' Mines and Minerals Bill
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Zimbabwe's long-anticipated Mines and Minerals Bill is under fresh scrutiny, with industry stakeholders warning that the proposed legislation remains opaque, exclusionary, and dangerously susceptible to corruption, posing serious risks to the development and governance of the country's mining sector.
First introduced in 2015, the bill has been repeatedly delayed and revised. But the latest draft - expected to be gazetted soon - is already drawing sharp criticism from organisations representing small-scale miners, particularly over the lack of meaningful stakeholder consultation and provisions seen as favouring foreign investors over local operators.
Samson Dzingwe, president of the Zimbabwe Prospectors Union, described the process of drafting the bill as "secretive and segregative," accusing authorities of marginalising key stakeholders and sidelining calls for transparency and accountability.
"The reason why the publishing of the Mines and Minerals Bill appears like a rumour is that it has been handled in a sacred and secretive way since 2015," Dzingwe said in an interview with Zimbabwe Independent. "The bill is half-baked and remains a pipedream because it lacks extensive and exhaustive consultation of all stakeholders concerned."
While Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando told delegates at last month's Chamber of Mines Annual General Meeting that the government intended to publish the final bill "within two weeks," scepticism continues to mount over whether it will be any more inclusive or effective than previous versions.
Among the most contentious provisions is a clause that would allow new miners to peg claims over existing properties or rights, provided compensation is paid to current holders. Dzingwe says this effectively threatens property rights and invites a flood of disputes.
Another flashpoint is the bill's restrictive approach to strategic minerals - such as lithium, gold, and platinum - which would require small-scale miners to pay up to US$100 million in fees to access these resources. Dzingwe says such requirements will effectively lock out Zimbabwean operators and hand over control of the country's most lucrative mineral assets to foreign investors.
"The legislation on strategic minerals is restrictive and segregative. It aborts and extinguishes small-scale miners from exploiting our strategic mineral resources while reserving them for rich people and foreign investors," he said.
Dzingwe also raised alarm over the structure of the proposed Mining Affairs Board, which he claims gives the minister excessive power to appoint board members without defined merit-based criteria. This, he argues, creates room for incompetence, patronage, and corruption, undermining effective governance of the mining sector.
"It creates clumsiness and sloppiness in the board, which compromises competence. There are a lot of human elements in that section," he said.
Zimbabwe's mining sector has long struggled with overlapping claims, red tape, and bureaucratic inertia - problems that Dzingwe warns will be exacerbated by the new legislation unless it is revised to include more inclusive and accountable structures.
"If the bill is not revisited and revised, it will entrench a system characterised by double standards, bureaucracy, incompetence, and regression in the mining industry," he said.
The Mines and Minerals Bill was previously gazetted during the Ninth Parliament, but progress stalled amid concerns that it granted excessive power to the Ministry of Mines and failed to align with constitutional requirements. In 2018, a version of the bill reached President Emmerson Mnangagwa's desk but was returned for further amendments. More recently, the President reaffirmed the bill as a legislative priority during the opening of the 10th Parliament's First Session.
Despite these repeated promises, the bill has remained stuck in legislative limbo for a decade, with key stakeholders accusing the government of prioritising elite and foreign investor interests over the development of a sustainable, inclusive mining economy.
Industry analysts say that for Zimbabwe to unlock the full potential of its mineral wealth - especially in the wake of growing global demand for lithium and rare earths - the legislative framework must strike a fair balance between investor attraction and citizen empowerment.
Calls are now growing louder for a national mining indaba that would bring together government, miners, civil society, and the private sector to chart a transparent and equitable roadmap for reforming Zimbabwe's mining laws. Without such engagement, critics warn, the Mines and Minerals Bill risks becoming yet another missed opportunity in the country's troubled mining history.
First introduced in 2015, the bill has been repeatedly delayed and revised. But the latest draft - expected to be gazetted soon - is already drawing sharp criticism from organisations representing small-scale miners, particularly over the lack of meaningful stakeholder consultation and provisions seen as favouring foreign investors over local operators.
Samson Dzingwe, president of the Zimbabwe Prospectors Union, described the process of drafting the bill as "secretive and segregative," accusing authorities of marginalising key stakeholders and sidelining calls for transparency and accountability.
"The reason why the publishing of the Mines and Minerals Bill appears like a rumour is that it has been handled in a sacred and secretive way since 2015," Dzingwe said in an interview with Zimbabwe Independent. "The bill is half-baked and remains a pipedream because it lacks extensive and exhaustive consultation of all stakeholders concerned."
While Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando told delegates at last month's Chamber of Mines Annual General Meeting that the government intended to publish the final bill "within two weeks," scepticism continues to mount over whether it will be any more inclusive or effective than previous versions.
Among the most contentious provisions is a clause that would allow new miners to peg claims over existing properties or rights, provided compensation is paid to current holders. Dzingwe says this effectively threatens property rights and invites a flood of disputes.
Another flashpoint is the bill's restrictive approach to strategic minerals - such as lithium, gold, and platinum - which would require small-scale miners to pay up to US$100 million in fees to access these resources. Dzingwe says such requirements will effectively lock out Zimbabwean operators and hand over control of the country's most lucrative mineral assets to foreign investors.
"The legislation on strategic minerals is restrictive and segregative. It aborts and extinguishes small-scale miners from exploiting our strategic mineral resources while reserving them for rich people and foreign investors," he said.
Dzingwe also raised alarm over the structure of the proposed Mining Affairs Board, which he claims gives the minister excessive power to appoint board members without defined merit-based criteria. This, he argues, creates room for incompetence, patronage, and corruption, undermining effective governance of the mining sector.
"It creates clumsiness and sloppiness in the board, which compromises competence. There are a lot of human elements in that section," he said.
Zimbabwe's mining sector has long struggled with overlapping claims, red tape, and bureaucratic inertia - problems that Dzingwe warns will be exacerbated by the new legislation unless it is revised to include more inclusive and accountable structures.
"If the bill is not revisited and revised, it will entrench a system characterised by double standards, bureaucracy, incompetence, and regression in the mining industry," he said.
The Mines and Minerals Bill was previously gazetted during the Ninth Parliament, but progress stalled amid concerns that it granted excessive power to the Ministry of Mines and failed to align with constitutional requirements. In 2018, a version of the bill reached President Emmerson Mnangagwa's desk but was returned for further amendments. More recently, the President reaffirmed the bill as a legislative priority during the opening of the 10th Parliament's First Session.
Despite these repeated promises, the bill has remained stuck in legislative limbo for a decade, with key stakeholders accusing the government of prioritising elite and foreign investor interests over the development of a sustainable, inclusive mining economy.
Industry analysts say that for Zimbabwe to unlock the full potential of its mineral wealth - especially in the wake of growing global demand for lithium and rare earths - the legislative framework must strike a fair balance between investor attraction and citizen empowerment.
Calls are now growing louder for a national mining indaba that would bring together government, miners, civil society, and the private sector to chart a transparent and equitable roadmap for reforming Zimbabwe's mining laws. Without such engagement, critics warn, the Mines and Minerals Bill risks becoming yet another missed opportunity in the country's troubled mining history.
Source - Zimbabwe Independent
