- E-Cadastre System Set for Launch by Year-End, Says Dr Wushe
Zimbabwe’s long-awaited electronic cadastre (e-cadastre) system is on track to go live before the end of 2026, with the Government currently conducting live demonstrations and final testing as it moves to modernise the administration of mining titles.
Speaking at the sidelines of the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe Annual Mining Conference in Victoria Falls, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Permanent Secretary Dr Thomas Utete Wushe said the Government had brought the system to the mining industry to demonstrate its commitment to implementing a digital mining title management platform.
“We have come here to the Chamber to demonstrate that the Government is serious about moving to the next level as far as the e-cadastre system is concerned. Here at this conference, we are running a test run of the e-cadastre system. We have brought it to the mining executives and the wider mining community to say, come and see where we are now,” said Dr Wushe.
The e-cadastre system is expected to fundamentally transform the management of mining claims and titles in Zimbabwe, helping to eliminate longstanding disputes over claim boundaries, ownership and overlapping rights that have often created uncertainty within the sector.
Dr Wushe said the project has been years in the making and represents one of the most significant reforms in the country’s mining administration framework.
“Given the long journey we have taken in implementing and designing this critical system, we believe it will help us manage mining titles in Zimbabwe and bring a final end to conflicts and disputes regarding boundaries and titles,” he said.
The Ministry has already completed several critical stages of the project, including training surveyors and data capture personnel, while also working closely with the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders to address issues that had previously been identified as obstacles to implementation.
“We have trained the surveyors, we have trained the data capturers, and we have worked together with the Chamber, which has supported us in resolving issues that were seen as stumbling blocks,” said Dr Wushe.
He expressed confidence that the platform would be operational before the end of the year.
“I can assure you that by the end of the year the system will be up and running,” he said.
As part of the testing process, mining executives attending the conference are being given an opportunity to interact with the platform and assess its capabilities.
According to Dr Wushe, data for most large-scale mining companies has already been loaded onto the system, enabling users to view title information and understand how the platform will operate.
“Today we are conducting test drives, and these demonstrations will continue over the next three days. Mining executives will be able to see where their titles are because the data for large mining companies is already available on the system,” he said.
Dr Wushe added that approximately 60 per cent of the required data has already been uploaded and can now be viewed through the platform.
The next phase of implementation will focus on capturing and integrating data relating to small-scale and artisanal mining titles to ensure the system provides a complete national record of mining rights.
“When we complete the population of small-scale and artisanal mining titles, we will be ready to tell the Zimbabwean nation that the system is ready for use,” he said.
The e-cadastre system is expected to improve transparency, strengthen governance, reduce mining title disputes and enhance investor confidence in Zimbabwe’s mining sector, which remains a key pillar of the country’s economic development agenda.
