- Govt Orders 98% Local Management, Mines to Stop Hoarding Top Jobs
In a bold and unapologetic crackdown on foreign dominance in the mining sector, the Zimbabwean government has issued a firm directive that 98 per cent of all senior and middle management positions at mines, including the fast-growing lithium subsector, must be held by Zimbabwean citizens with immediate effect, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Minister of Mines and Mining Development Dr Polite Kambamura delivered the ultimatum, warning that foreign-owned mining companies, particularly Chinese lithium operators notorious for running all-expatriate management structures, must comply or face the consequences.
“To ensure compliance with the Mines and Minerals Act [Chapter 21:05] and the Mining Management and Safety Regulations of 1990 (Statutory Instrument 109 of 1990), senior and middle management staff of gold mines and all other mines must be constituted of 98% Zimbabweans,” said Dr Kambamura. “We expect immediate compliance with this call.”
While the directive applies to all mining operations, the government’s toughest message is aimed squarely at Chinese-owned mines, which have been accused of sidelining Zimbabwean professionals and filling every key decision-making role, from Mine Managers, chief engineers, safety officers, and financial controllers, with Chinese nationals.
Industry observers say some Chinese mines operate with almost no Zimbabweans in senior positions, reducing local staff to manual labourers and low-level supervisors. This practice, the government argues, violates both the spirit and the letter of Zimbabwe’s mining laws.
“The days of seeing a foreigner as a general manager, another foreigner as the chief safety officer, another as the HR director, and Zimbabweans only carrying picks and shovels are over,” a senior ministry official told our newsroom on condition of anonymity. “Lithium is ours. The jobs must go to our people.”
Immediate Compliance Required
Mining houses have been given no grace period. The minister said all mines must restructure their management teams with immediate effect. Companies found in breach risk fines, suspension of operating licences, or even revocation of mining claims.
The directive is backed by the Mines and Minerals Act and the 1990 Safety Regulations, which give the state sweeping powers to regulate mine management composition.
The government also confirmed that foreign-owned gold mining assets held idle for speculation will be repossessed, and all small-scale foreign mining operators must transition to large-scale status by 1 January 2027—or exit the sector altogether.
Speaking at a separate miners’ graduation event in Chegutu, Dr Kambamura did not mince his words. He accused some foreign investors of treating Zimbabwe as a “resource colony” where locals are denied decision-making power.
“You cannot come and mine our lithium, our gold, our diamonds, and then bring your own drivers, your own secretaries, your own mine captains, and your own accountants from your country,” he said. “That is not investment. That is exploitation. Our people are qualified. Our people are competent. And now, the law will protect them.”
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has applauded the move, saying it will end the systemic exclusion of Zimbabwean professionals from their own country’s mining sector.
What This Means for Foreign Investors
The government has made it clear that it remains open to responsible foreign direct investment—but on new terms. Foreign capital and technology are welcome, but management must be local. Expatriates may only occupy a maximum of 2 per cent of senior and middle management roles, and only where proven local skills gaps exist.
For Chinese lithium giants like Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine, and others operating in Kamativi, Bikita, and Goromonzi, the directive forces an immediate overhaul of their staffing policies.
“Compliance is not optional,” the minister stressed. “We will be going on the ground to check. No foreigner will run a mine in this country while Zimbabweans watch from the gate.”
