By Fanuel Chinowaita
MUTARE, 8 December 2025 – A heated district dialogue on Friday revealed deep-seated crises within Zimbabwe’s mining sector, with local miners accusing the Ministry of Mines of corruption, manipulation and deadly negligence linked to the newly launched Computerized Mining Cadastre System.
The meeting, convened in Mutare by the Zimbabwe Mining Advocacy and Capacity Building (ZIMACE), aimed to shape reforms but instead became a platform for a litany of grievances from community leaders and small-scale miners.
Miners presented explosive allegations, claiming the Cadastre system—officially launched on July 1, 2025, to bring transparency—is already being abused. They asserted that wealthy individuals and foreign entities, specifically naming Chinese companies, are paying the Ministry of Mines to manipulate the system and jump the queue.
“Those with money are ahead,” one miner stated. “The Chinese are using a map we do not have… they go with those coordinates to the Ministry and pay to manipulate the pegs we are now using.”
These allegations are compounded by a massive administrative backlog at the Ministry, reported to be approximately five years, creating a environment ripe for exploitation.
In response, miners are proposing to draft a petition to the Ministry and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines, demanding a halt to all cadastre registrations processed under what they call “unclear circumstances.”
Specific cases were cited as evidence. Miners highlighted the case of ‘Bill Boss,’ a mining company now listed as Odzi Resources Zimbabwe. Documents shown at the meeting listed an application date of December 12, 1963, and a grant date of June 12, 1964, but an inspection date of June 16, 2025. Miners allege the document was tampered with, noting that Odzi Resources only emerged around 1993.
“They are coming with money and a 1963 map, taking mines that now belong to locals,” a miner reported, describing escalating conflicts between locals and Chinese mining operations.
Technical concerns about the Cadastre system were also raised. Miners questioned whether it could accurately map underground tunnels, citing the example of Redwin Mine in Penhalonga, whose tunnels allegedly stretch to Old Mutare, raising fears of overlapping claims and subterranean disputes.
The dialogue took a somber turn as miners linked administrative chaos to loss of life. They reported that many people are dying in Penhalonga, where “artisanal miners” are operating on the scale of large mining companies without regulation or safety oversight.
Amidst the criticism, civil society representatives acknowledged governmental efforts while stressing the need for sustained public pressure.
“The government is trying its best, so it is now the duty of the citizens to track the process for accountability,” said Tendai Nyamadzi from the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD).
This call for vigilance coincides with a significant financial commitment from the state. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has been allocated ZiG789 million in the 2026 national budget, a strategic investment intended to improve operational capacity and drive regulatory overhaul for a more transparent sector.
“The allocation of ZiG789 million to the Ministry of Mines is a critical and direct financial commitment to resolve the systemic failures within our cadastre system,” said Tendai of ZIMCODD. “This investment must fund genuine transparency—not just new software, but accountable processes that end the ‘pay-to-play’ manipulation miners have exposed. The money is there; citizens will now track every dollar to ensure it fixes the backlog, clears the corruption, and gives every miner a fair stake, not just those with maps and money.”
Analysts note this budgetary pledge is a direct response to longstanding governance issues raised by civil society.
Despite the fury, some advocates urged fixing, not scrapping, the new system. Tafara Chiremba from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation (ZELO) called the digitized cadastre “a way to go,” acknowledging problems but insisting they can be rectified.
“There is room for it to be adjusted before it’s fully adopted. We need to find ways of engaging the responsible Ministry and Parliament,” Tafara said.
He pointed to the ongoing Responsible Mining Audit—a government compliance check—as a critical avenue for input, with its second phase expected early next year promising broader stakeholder engagement.
The dialogue concluded with a commitment to formalize the miners’ recommendations and allegations into a report for Parliament and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, underscoring a critical juncture for a sector struggling with transparency, accountability, and safety.