The Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) has proposed making its Certificate in Principles of Responsible Small-Scale Mining (PRSM/S01) a statutory requirement for holding or retaining any small-scale mining title in Zimbabwe. The proposal was presented to a visiting delegation from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development (MMMD), Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
In a technical presentation to the Ministry of Mines delegation led by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Thomas Utete Wushe, ZSM Training and Operations Manager, Eng Martin January, said the proposal would amend the Mining (Management and Safety) Regulations (updating SI 109 of 1990) to mandate a certified “Responsible Person” on every site, with civil penalties for non-compliance.
The proposal comes at a time when artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has become central to Zimbabwe’s gold output, yet safety lapses remain a persistent challenge. The government has been pushing formalisation as a solution, with Mines Minister Polite Kambamura previously describing training certificates as “a passport to formality” and “an obligation to mine responsibly.” The ZSM proposal now seeks to legally embed that principle by linking the PRSM certificate to the new Digital Mining Cadastre Register under the “use it or lose it” framework.
Under the proposal, the Explosives Act’s requirement for a Full Blasting Licence would be reinforced by the PRSM certificate, reflecting the fact that ASM accounts for a large share of sector accidents. By codifying the rule under revised Mining (Management and Safety) Regulations, every small-scale mining site would be required to have a certified “Responsible Person,” with civil penalties for those who fail to comply.
The enforcement mechanism relies on Zimbabwe’s new Digital Mining Cadastre Register. Title holders would be required to upload their PRSM certificate for all registrations, transfers, and annual reviews. Failure to do so would trigger automatic alerts under the “use it or lose it” principle, potentially leading to the loss of the claim.
ZSM’s proposal is designed to eliminate informal extraction, shift the compliance burden onto miners themselves, and create a self-perpetuating demand for responsible mining training. If adopted, it would embed safety directly into ASM sector law, making a training certificate no longer optional but the legal requirement for holding a mining title.
The proposal now awaits consideration by the Ministry of Mines. Should it be approved, small-scale miners across Zimbabwe would need to complete the PRSM/S01 course to keep their titles active.
