- Zimbabwe plans mining law reforms by year-end.
- The e-cadastre system is targeted for December 2026.
- Government wants more value from local minerals.
ZIMBABWE plans to finalise changes to its mining law and complete its electronic mining cadastre system by the end of 2026 as the government seeks to improve regulation and increase value from the sector.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the Mines and Minerals Act should be modernised before the end of the year, while the electronic cadastre should give investors clearer information on mining rights.
“The modernisation of the Mines and Minerals Act must be finalised before year end, working with the Deputy Attorney General towards presentation to both Houses,” Kambamura said at the 2026 Mid-Term Strategic Planning Review Workshop in Kadoma.
“The E-Mine Cadastre System must be completed, so that an investor can establish which ground is available, who holds what right and what obligations attach to it.”
The reforms come as the government seeks to clear mining application backlogs and improve the administration of mining rights. The 2026 government estimates list amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act and the operationalisation of the computerised mining cadastre system among the ministry’s priorities for 2026-2028.
Zimbabwe’s Mines and Minerals Bill, 2025 proposes replacing the existing law and establishing a Mining Cadastre Register and Registry. It would also reduce the number of mining title classes and change the title of mining commissioner to provincial mining director.
The Bill was gazetted in June 2025 and was listed by Parliament at committee stage following an adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee in October 2025.
The electronic cadastre is also already under development. The system was piloted in Manicaland in 2025 and the ministry has said it expects the national system to be fully operational by December 2026.
Kambamura said support for small-scale miners must also accompany the government’s policy of reserving small and medium-scale gold mining for Zimbabwean citizens.
“Government has reserved small and medium-scale gold mining for Zimbabwean citizens, and that reservation must be matched by capability; training, safety, environmental compliance, traceable delivery and access to affordable finance and equipment,” he said.
The government’s 2026 plans include capacity building for small-scale miners and expansion of the Mining Industry Loan Fund to help artisanal and small-scale miners obtain modern equipment and meet operational costs.
The 2026 national budget allocated ZiG789 million to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to support its operations and promote beneficiation.
Kambamura also raised concerns over environmental compliance in artisanal and small-scale mining.
“Weak adherence to Environmental Impact Assessment regulations, inadequate rehabilitation and pollution continue to threaten ecosystems and livelihoods,” he said, calling for more safety, health and environmental training for small-scale miners.
Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Agency requires an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment certificate for mining and quarrying projects before they can proceed.
The government has also made environmental compliance part of its 2026 mining strategy, including joint safety, health and environmental inspections with the Environmental Management Agency.
On coal, Kambamura said the government would seek to unlock more value from the resource through industrial uses and new investment.
“Coal is now classified as a Special Critical mineral,” he said, adding that the government would “repossess idle coal concessions held in speculation” and pursue partnerships for technologies aimed at producing power, fertilisers, industrial gases and liquid fuels.
The classification needs to be read alongside the government’s May 2026 minerals policy, which designated metallurgical coal as a special critical mineral and coal as a strategic mineral.
The government said the wider classification system was intended to strengthen strategic planning, local beneficiation and management of mineral resources.
The policy also provides for state participation in critical mineral projects and restrictions on exports of listed minerals in raw or unbeneficiated form, subject to approved transitional arrangements.
Kambamura said the government’s measure of success should extend beyond the volume of minerals extracted.
“The ultimate measure of our success will not be the tonnes extracted, nor even the plants commissioned,” he said. “It will be the products manufactured in Zimbabwe, the enterprises supplying our mines, the careers created and the extent to which mineral wealth becomes lasting national capability.”
He said the benefits should reach mining communities, citing Gwanda, Muzarabani and Mwenezi.
“A gram of gold mined, a tonne of lithium extracted, a pound of steel produced and a carat of diamond cut and polished should benefit a community in Gwanda, a community in Muzarabani and a community in Mwenezi, leaving no one and no place behind,” Kambamura said.
