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In a significant move to formalise and regulate the mining sector, the Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) Rural District Council has passed the Mining and Mineral Panning By-Laws, a progressive piece of legislation now officially gazetted as Statutory Instrument 75 of 2025, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
This proactive step by the UMP Council comes ahead of the long-delayed Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, signalling a new era of localised governance and regulation in the mining sector.
The new bylaws aim to bring sanity and accountability to mining activities, particularly for artisanal miners. They aim to address several critical issues that have historically plagued the sector, offering a clear framework for responsible mining and environmental stewardship.
Key Provisions of the By-Laws
The new regulations lay out a comprehensive framework that mandates several key actions and responsibilities for miners and the council.
Among the most critical issues addressed by the Statutory Instrument are:
Submission of Licenses: All prospecting, exploration, and mining rights licenses must be submitted to the council. This ensures the local authority has a clear record of who is operating within its jurisdiction.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs): The submission of Environmental Impact Assessment Reports, Plans, and Certificates is now a mandatory requirement for miners. This is a crucial step towards mitigating the environmental damage often associated with mining.
Environmental Rehabilitation: Miners are now required to pay an environmental rehabilitation levy, with different categories for different types of miners. This levy will be used to create an Environmental Rehabilitation Fund to restore degraded land. Whilst this may be a good initiative, transparency in the use of these funds is of paramount importance.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The by-laws formalise the obligation for miners to undertake corporate social responsibility initiatives, ensuring that local communities benefit from the extraction of their resources.
Inspection and Fee Structure: The council now has the authority to inspect mining activities within its area. Furthermore, the bylaws set a graduated fee structure for artisanal miners, categorised from A to D, making it more manageable for small-scale miners to formalise their operations.
