The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development (MMMD) is seeking to simplify and speed up the acquisition of mining titles, with a focus on ensuring that Zimbabweans with the financial capacity to invest can secure the rights needed to start operations and contribute to the economy, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
Speaking at the official opening of the Ministry’s 2027 Strategic Planning Workshop in Kadoma on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary Dr Thomas Utete Wushe said obtaining a mining title should not be a lengthy or cumbersome process, adding that the Ministry had a responsibility to facilitate access to mining rights for those capable of developing mineral resources.
“We would like to invest and make mining rights, title rights, available to those people who mine. It should not be a laborious, painful process to obtain a mining title. It is our responsibility to make sure that those with enough resources can access the mining titles that make it possible to invest in the sector, start producing minerals and contribute meaningfully to our economy,” said Dr Wushe.
The push comes against a history of administrative bottlenecks in the acquisition of mining titles, with prospective miners previously facing lengthy processing periods, application backlogs and resource shortages at provincial mining offices.
In Mashonaland West, for instance, Mining Zimbabwe reported in March 2024 that the provincial office was operating with only one cartographer, resulting in delays that sometimes left applications unprocessed for months. The cumbersome process has also raised concerns about overlapping claims and ownership disputes, making access to secure mining rights a longstanding challenge for small-scale operators.
It is against this background that the Ministry is seeking to make access to mining rights more efficient under its 2027 strategic objectives, with Dr Wushe emphasising that people with the financial capacity to invest should be facilitated to acquire titles, start operations and contribute to mineral production.
The push also aligns with Government policy announced in May 2026, which reserved the small and medium-scale gold mining sector for Zimbabwean citizens and wholly Zimbabwean-owned entities, with the aim of strengthening local ownership and participation in the sector.
With foreign participation restricted in the reserved category, ensuring that local miners can access mining rights and develop viable operations becomes an important part of translating the policy into actual production.
Dr Wushe said ministry officials should regard facilitating legal access to mining as a core responsibility, rather than creating barriers for prospective miners.
“If we are going to take away one thing from here, it is to go back and say, my job is to ensure that Zimbabweans who would like to mine are given an opportunity to mine.”
He said the Ministry’s responsibility was to make it possible for interested Zimbabweans to obtain legal access to mining areas as quickly as possible and begin operations.
A key component of the planned reforms is the introduction of the mining cadastre system, which Dr Wushe said the Ministry was targeting to launch by December 31.
The system is expected to strengthen the administration of mining rights and improve the management of mining titles, making its implementation an important step in addressing concerns around access to and administration of mining claims.
The call formed part of the Ministry’s broader strategic direction for 2027, which is being reviewed at the Kadoma workshop, where officials are mapping out priorities around revenue growth, improved service delivery, investment mobilisation and greater emphasis on beneficiation and value addition.
He said the Ministry would put mining services at the centre of its operations, including engaging miners directly to establish whether Government services are meeting their expectations.
