The Planet Gold Zimbabwe project has revealed that it is actively lobbying for the explicit inclusion and definition of artisanal miners within the forthcoming Mines and Minerals Bill, arguing that the current draft overlooks a key demographic that forms the “backbone of rural gold production,” Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The call was made by Planet Gold Zimbabwe Project Manager Nyaradzo Mutonhori during an address at the Mine Entra 2025 conference, where she outlined the project’s comprehensive strategy to transform the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector.
Speaking under the conference theme “Beyond Mining, Sustaining the Future of Mining,” Mutonhori detailed the four pillars of the Planet Gold Zimbabwe project: formalisation, finance, technology transfer, and knowledge-sharing. She identified the ongoing legislative reform as a critical juncture for the sector’s future.
While acknowledging that the new Mines and Minerals Bill “takes important steps forward towards recognising small-scale mining,” Mutonhori highlighted a significant omission.
“It remains silent on the specific identity and realities of artisanal miners,” Mutonhori stated, emphasising that this group continues to operate without a clear legal status despite its vital economic role.
To address this gap, Mutonhori announced that the project, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF), has formally “proposed an explicit inclusion and definition of artisanal miners within the bill.”
“In parallel, we advocated for the establishment of a transitional system,” she added, pointing to a structured pathway intended to bring these miners from the informal margins into the regulated economy.
The push for formalisation was positioned as the foundational step for the project’s other objectives. Mutonhori explained that without legal recognition, artisanal miners struggle to access the financing and technology needed to modernise their operations.
On finance, she outlined collaborative work with Fidelity Gold Refineries and the banking sector to “unlock innovative financing models.” The goal is to demonstrate the business case for mercury-free technologies, thereby helping financial institutions see artisanal miners “as legitimate entrepreneurs who can drive rural economic growth.”
The technology transfer component aims to set up demonstration sites and training programmes for mercury-free processing equipment, proving that these methods are not only “environmentally sound but also more profitable.”
Finally, through knowledge-sharing and capacity-building, including specialised mining academies for women and youth, the project seeks to ensure the sector’s transition is “inclusive and community-driven.”
Mutonhori framed this multi-pronged approach as essential for positioning Zimbabwe as a regional leader in proving that artisanal and small-scale gold mining “can be both profitable and sustainable.”
She concluded with a rallying call for collective action from government, industry, and development partners to “build a future where mining is not only about extraction, but about empowerment, innovation, and shared prosperity, leaving no one behind.” The success of this vision, however, appears inextricably linked to the first step: granting artisanal miners a clear and legitimate place in Zimbabwe’s law.
