The Association of Mine Surveyors of Zimbabwe (ASMZ) is pushing to revive and review the Government Mine Surveyor’s Certificate of Competence, with the association seeking to strengthen the pipeline of qualified professionals serving the mining industry, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The issue is being discussed at the ongoing ASMZ 41st annual conference in Masvingo, which has brought together mine surveying professionals, academics, Government officials and key players in the mining industry to discuss the profession’s challenges and its future.
Speaking at the conference, ASMZ President Stewart Gumbie said the association would work closely with the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) to review the qualification and ensure a steady pipeline of competent mine surveyors.
“We are also going to be working hand in glove with the School of Mines to revive and review our Certificate of Competence as a measure to ensure that we constantly have a full pipeline of competent personnel to service the mining industry beyond our existence,” Gumbie said.
The proposal received support from the Government, with Chief Government Mining Engineer Michael Munodawafa endorsing the push and describing the certificate as important to both the mining industry and the surveying profession.
“The certificate is a good thing for the industry and the profession. You must continue with it and make sure that it remains relevant to the needs of the industry,” Munodawafa said.
The renewed push comes against a long history of the qualification and previous efforts within the profession to assess whether it remains fit for purpose.
A presentation by the Office of the Chief Government Mine Engineer at an ASMZ symposium in 2024 showed that the first examinations for the Government Mine Surveyor’s Certificate of Competence were held in June 1947. By 2024, 171 certificates had been issued, according to the presentation, averaging about two certificates a year over nearly eight decades.
The figure has previously raised concern within the profession, with the 2024 symposium examining the qualification, its examination procedures and the need to update its syllabus.
Among the issues discussed was the revised 2016 syllabus and the requirement for candidates to pass all eight subjects before obtaining the certificate. Participants also raised concerns that some subjects had become outdated as technology changed the way mine surveying is carried out.
The review of the qualification was already on the association’s agenda in 2024. Ahead of an ASMZ symposium held in Bulawayo that year, the association said it would gather submissions on revising the Mine Surveyors’ Certificate of Competence syllabus, alongside proposed changes to mining regulations and the Mining Bill.
Since then, technology has continued to change the way mine surveying is carried out. At the 2024 symposium, the Zimbabwe School of Mines said its curriculum had been revamped in 2014 to include advanced mathematics and survey methods aligned with the Mine Survey Certificate of Competence.
The school has also incorporated technologies such as RTK GPS, drones and 3D survey software into its training, while identifying robotics and virtual and augmented reality as areas for future development.
It is against these changes that ASMZ is now seeking to revisit the professional qualification, with the proposed review providing an opportunity to consider whether its training and examination requirements remain relevant to the industry.
The current status of the Certificate of Competence, including whether examinations are being conducted, how many candidates are currently taking them and how many certificates have been issued since the 171 recorded in 2024, remains central to understanding the scale of the issue and what the proposed review could mean for Zimbabwe’s mining industry.
