en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Zimbabwean government recently received an update from Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr. Polite Kambamura, on the progress of the Mining Cadastre Management Information System, marking a step closer to implementing this long-awaited digital platform.
Following a cabinet briefing, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Zhemu Soda, stated that the core of the system reform involves digitizing over 60,000 mining licenses, covering Blocks of Claims, Special Grants, Mining Leases, Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs), mining locations, and other license types currently held by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. Once fully operational, the system will replace paper registers with a computerized platform, modernizing mining rights management to enhance efficiency, transparency, and governance in the allocation of mineral resources.
The reform aims to address long-standing challenges in the sector, particularly disputes arising from overlapping mining claims and delays in application processing. The government stated that the new system aligns with overall efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the mining sector, where secure and predictable mining rights remain a key prerequisite for attracting exploration and long-term capital.
The latest update indicates that the cadastre project has entered its final implementation phase, representing the most significant progress since it was first proposed in 2014. The project had faced multiple delays due to technical limitations and issues related to verifying historical mining rights records. Currently, approximately 60% of the total mining rights (around 60,000) have been uploaded to the system, allowing mining companies to view and verify their claims before full rollout. Government officials stated that the platform is partially operational, with mining data being continuously migrated.
The public-facing application portal and the ministry's internal backend processing system are now in an advanced stage of development, forming the core architecture of the digital cadastre. Authorities indicated that early technical and operational bottlenecks have been largely resolved through staff training, data verification, and inter-departmental coordination. Current efforts are focused on final refinements and system expansion, with the goal of full launch by December.
Upon full implementation, the electronic cadastre will replace existing paper registers with a digital system based on survey-grade geographic coordinates, promising to improve tenure security, accelerate license processing, and create a more transparent and predictable investment environment. Additionally, the reform is expected to support the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining, enhancing Zimbabwe's competitiveness as a destination for mining investment.
