- US$7 billion mining earnings in 2025, 5% growth forecast for 2026, and a clear directive: small-scale gold is for Zimbabweans
President Emmerson Mnangagwa today made a powerful pledge to support local miners, declaring that the government’s mining sector reforms, particularly in small-scale gold mining, are designed to ensure more Zimbabweans participate in and benefit from their own resources, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking with the authority of a leader whose economic policies are now backed by the IMF, World Bank, and UN Economic Commission for Africa, the President said the country’s macroeconomic stability is no accident.
“It is a result of our collective discipline, resilience, focus, and unity of purpose,” he said.
And then he turned to mining, the engine of that stability.
US$7 Billion and a Promise to Locals
Revealing that mining earnings reached US$7 billion in 2025, Mnangagwa described the sector as “the backbone of our economy.” But he did not stop at celebrating the figure. He looked ahead.
“Reforms in the mining sector, particularly with regard to the small-scale mining of gold, will see the participation of more locals in the sector,” the President said.
That single sentence is a promise. It is a directive. And it puts the full weight of the presidency behind the recent policy changes that have raised questions and hopes across the industry.
For years, small-scale gold mining has been dominated by informal players, with foreign syndicates, many of them illegal, pushing locals off claims, bribing officials, and smuggling gold across borders. President Mnangagwa has now made it clear: those days are ending.
Support for local miners is not just a slogan. It is government policy.
The Bigger Economic Picture: Irreversible Growth
The President’s pledge to local miners sits within a broader story of national economic resurgence.
· The economy rebounded by 6.6% in 2025.
· Growth is forecast at 5% in 2026.
· International financial institutions have confirmed the trend.
“Our economy remains on an irreversible growth trajectory,” Mnangagwa declared.
Energy, transport, water, and ICT infrastructure are expanding at a steady pace. Agriculture is growing and innovating. And mining is leading the charge, with the government now focusing on local beneficiation and value addition—keeping more value within Zimbabwe.
What the President’s Promise Means for Small-Scale Miners
For the thousands of artisanal and small-scale miners across the country, the President’s words are a lifeline.
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation, led by Henrietta Rushwaya, has long argued that small-scale mining should be reserved for citizens. At Mine Entra 2024, she said: “If an investor’s claim is less than 50 hectares, they cannot call themselves an investor. They must pack their bags and go.”
Now the President has endorsed that vision.
The recent ban on foreigners in the small-scale gold sector—implemented by Mines Minister Dr Polite Kambamura—is no longer just a ministerial directive. It is a presidential promise to local miners.
But support does not mean abandonment. The President’s administration has also committed to responsive policies that balance empowerment with the need for capital and expertise. Foreign investment remains welcome—but in larger-scale operations, joint ventures, and value addition, not in displacing locals from small claims.
“My Administration will continue to implement responsive policies for broad-based empowerment and wealth creation,” he said.
For local miners, that means one thing: the government has your back.
The gold is ours. The reforms are real. And with US$7 billion already in the bank, the future of Zimbabwean mining is being built on a foundation of local participation, discipline, and unity of purpose.
