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The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has set a firm July 1, 2025, deadline for mining title holders and applicants to align with new geospatial data standards, as the country moves closer to implementing a long-awaited computerised Mining Cadastre Information Management System (MCIMS).
By Ryan Chigoche
Published through General Notice 1 of 2025, the directive marks a significant milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to digitise the management of mining titles and related operations.
The new system is expected to streamline title administration, reduce disputes, and improve transparency across Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
Effective from the deadline, all existing mining titles, as well as pending and new applications, must be captured in the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Arc 1950 coordinate system, based on the Clark 1880 spheroid reference.
The Ministry emphasised that all coordinates must be gathered by registered mine surveyors using survey-grade instruments and in adherence to national and international surveying best practices.
What Title Holders and Applicants Must Do
To meet the new requirements, mining title holders and applicants working with approved prospectors and registered mine surveyors must take the following steps:
Active Claim Renewals
For every renewal of an active mining claim, title holders are required to submit coordinates in the specified format. The Ministry urged claim holders to inspect and renew their titles on time to avoid lapses.Pending Applications
Applicants with outstanding mining title submissions must resubmit coordinates that comply with the new geospatial standards.New Applications
Going forward, all new mining title applications will only be accepted if accompanied by coordinates that meet the UTM Arc 1950 specification.Registered Mine Surveyor List
To support this process, a list of registered mine surveyors will be made available at Provincial Mining Offices and at the office of the Chief Government Mining Engineer.
No Repegging Required
To prevent confusion, the Ministry clarified that the exercise does not require physical repegging of claims. The focus is strictly on updating coordinate data for digital integration. Existing claim boundaries remain intact, with no requirement for title holders to re-establish pegs on the ground.
Warning Against Data Manipulation
Authorities also issued a strong warning to mining title holders, prospectors, registered surveyors, and government officials against any attempts to manipulate data or undermine the integrity of the process. The Ministry underscored the importance of maintaining accuracy and accountability, adding that the success of the e-cadastre depends on honest participation from all stakeholders.
The full rollout of the MCIMS forms part of Zimbabwe’s broader mining sector reforms aimed at boosting investor confidence, improving governance, and aligning the country’s mineral resource management with international best practice.
A mining cadastre is a comprehensive land management system that digitally records the location, ownership, and status of mineral rights and mining titles.
Used widely in mining jurisdictions globally, cadastre systems help minimise disputes, curb corruption, and enhance transparency by providing a single, verifiable source of mineral title information.
In the case of Zimbabwe, this is a welcome development for a sector that has, for years, struggled with the absence of a functional mining cadastre. Delays in finalising the system have undermined transparency and investor confidence.
Challenges such as overlapping claims, title disputes, and the lack of real-time access to accurate title data have persisted.
According to industry observers, the slow rollout originally targeted for 2024 has exposed the sector to manipulation risks and disputes over ownership.
Infrastructure limitations, data verification gaps, and incomplete legacy records in areas like Manicaland have also contributed to delays. The setting of a clear compliance deadline is now seen by many stakeholders as an important step toward restoring order and confidence in Zimbabwe’s mining title administration.
