- Miners want six more months to meet outstanding obligations.
- The government deadline is Aug. 30.
- Failure to comply could result in forfeiture of mining titles.
ZIMBABWE’S small-scale miners are asking the government for more time to settle outstanding mining obligations before a nationwide compliance deadline expires Aug. 30.
The Consolidated Small-Scale Miners Association has asked the Mines and Mining Development Ministry for a six-month extension, saying some operators may struggle to complete the process before the deadline.
In a letter to Permanent Secretary Thomas Utete Wushe, CSSA Chairperson Blessing Togarepi said miners needed more time to establish what they owed, raise funds and complete the required paperwork.
“We respectfully write to request an extension of the deadline given to miners and mining operators to regularise their outstanding obligations, currently set for 30 August 2026,” Togarepi wrote.
The ministry issued a public notice on July 10 calling on all holders of mining titles and mining operators to regularise outstanding obligations by Aug. 30. It warned that failure to comply within the deadline could result in forfeiture of mining rights.
The ministry has directed mining title holders and operators to visit their respective Provincial Mining Offices to obtain invoices and clarify outstanding payments or requirements.
CSSA said the notice period was too short for some miners to complete the process.
“While we appreciate the Ministry’s efforts to ensure compliance and proper administration of the mining sector, we kindly submit that the notice period provided is too short for many miners to adequately assess their obligations, mobilise the required funds, obtain the necessary documentation and complete the regularisation processes,” Togarepi wrote.
The association has requested an extension of at least six months to allow miners to comply without facing what it called “unnecessary forfeiture” of their mining rights.
“We believe that an extension will promote orderly compliance, protect livelihoods, and enable the Ministry to achieve its objective of bringing all outstanding mining obligations into good standing,” Togarepi said.
The request comes as the government pushes to strengthen compliance and formalise the mining sector. The ministry has identified formalisation and empowerment, modernised regulation, and sustainability and revenue maximisation among its strategic priorities.
The Aug. 30 deadline applies beyond small-scale miners, covering holders of mining titles and mining operators generally.
As of Aug. 22, the ministry had not publicly announced an extension in the sources reviewed for this report.
