Kambamura signals tougher scrutiny of investors . . . as mines ministry embarks on major restructuring

Michael Tome

Business Reporter

Newly sworn-in Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura has vowed to make a decisive shift in the local mining sector’s approach, saying the Government will now prioritise quality investors who respect national laws, communities and environmental standards.

Speaking shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, Minister Kambamura said the era of disorderly mining activity was over, adding that the authorities would tighten oversight to ensure that investment into the sector supports national development goals.

He noted that the cue came from President Mnangagwa’s directive, which urged him to improve the ministry’s efficiency, strengthen adherence to Government principles and ensure that mining communities benefit from mineral extraction.

Minister Kambamura highlighted that under his stewardship, the ministry was going to enforce order across the sector to restore investor confidence and ensure the resource industry contributes meaningfully to Vision 2030 targets.

“We are going to be looking at our investment and the quality of investors. It is time we scrutinise who is coming to invest in the country. The President has said Zimbabwe is open for business, but some people have taken that to mean otherwise.

“We want quality investors who come respecting the laws of the country, respecting the communities in which they are investing, and who undertake proper consultations with the communities prior to mining and pegging,” said Minister Kambamura.

“The issue of haphazard mining all over is now gone. We are working to restructure, to change things for the good of the country so that the President’s vision of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030 becomes a reality.”

The proposed restructuring marks one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the mining sector in years, reflecting the Government’s push to strengthen regulation, modernise the industry and maximise national benefit from mineral resources.

Minister Kambamura indicated that he is going to establish several new pillars that will guide reforms in the sector. He outlined a comprehensive restructuring plan anchored in several thematic pillars aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in governance, transparency and sustainability.

He also said he was going to introduce the social pillar, which would allow for the shift from traditional corporate social responsibility models towards corporate investment, ensuring long-term community benefits that extend beyond a mine’s lifecycle.

“Through the social pillar, we are going to be focusing on social investment and social development, where we are going to make sure that our people benefit from their God-given resources.

“We are going to move from corporate social responsibility to corporate investment so that people get something even after the mine closes, because in most cases when the mine closes, people do not benefit.”

He also hinted at introducing the economic pillar, where key reforms will include overhauling the cadastral system, intensifying exploration and accelerating aeromagnetic surveys across the entire country.

“We are also going to come up with an economic pillar where we are going to focus on restructuring the ministry, the cadastral system, intensive exploration across the whole country.

“These are building pillars of NDS2. So, we are going to be doing aeromagnetic surveys so that we will be able to quantify our minerals, our reserves and our resources.”

He added that new measures would tighten controls on mineral exports to curb smuggling and improve export receipts.

As such, he hinted at the plan to introduce “smart mining” technologies, including drones, remote sensing and advanced geological information systems to improve surveillance, environmental monitoring and overall sector efficiency.

Given the environmental impact of mining, Minister Kambamura announced the potential establishment of a dedicated environmental department within his ministry to handle environmental impact assessments (EIAs) specifically for mining operations.

“We will also be able to institute an environment department in the ministry. As you are aware, the environment is being administered under the Ministry of Environment, but considering the complexity and the destructive nature of mining, it is time that we put an environment department in the ministry so that the issues to do with EIAs for mining companies are done from the Ministry of Mines with experts who know the mining environment, considering the nature of mining.”

To promote employment creation and skills development, Minister Kambamura said he will create a skills and youth inclusion pillar, where mining sector players will be required to promote youth involvement.

“We are also going to come up with a pillar for the inclusion of our youth. Currently, I think we have a lot of graduates or undergraduates who are not finding attachment.

“In that pillar, we are also going to frame up on skills and knowledge transfer for people.”

With mining contributing more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s export earnings, the reforms are expected to have significant implications for investor engagement, project development and community relations.