Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE is making significant progress in migrating to a digital Mining Cadastre System, which enables the Government to take stock of all mines and mineral resources in the country through a computerised platform, Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando has said.
He made the remarks while addressing delegates at the 23rd edition of Africa Down Under (ADU) in Perth, Australia, where he is leading Zimbabwe’s delegation.
A cadastre system is a computer-based and up-to-date land information tool that records rights, restrictions and responsibilities tied to land ownership.
In mining, it provides a transparent and reliable record of mining titles.
Minister Chitando said the new system would improve transparency and accountability in mining title management, eliminate overlapping claims, and strengthen property rights and security of tenure.
“Government is advanced towards migrating from manual to automation with a computerised mining cadastre system. This is part of our drive to enhance the ease of doing business in the mining sector and to underpin the sector’s vision,” he said.
The minister said the cadastre system will expedite mining administration and improve mineral accountability.
As part of the transition, from July 1 all mining title holders and new applicants are required to comply with updated geospatial data standards to ensure precision and consistency in title management.
Minister Chitando said the reform was part of Government’s wider efforts to modernise the mining sector in line with international best practices.
Zimbabwe, he noted, is endowed with vast mineral resources including gold, platinum, chrome, lithium, coal and nickel, making an efficient title management system critical for the country’s economic transformation.
He also highlighted Zimbabwe’s marketing framework for minerals, noting that all minerals, except gold, are marketed and exported through the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, while gold sales are channelled through Fidelity Printers, a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
