HARARE, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwean Cabinet on Tuesday approved a comprehensive review of mining licenses, permits, and levies, aimed at lowering production costs and boosting domestic mineral value addition.
"Cabinet approved the streamlining of duplicated regulatory licenses, removed unnecessary levies, and lowered unjustifiably high fees for the mining sector," said Mangaliso Ndhlovu, acting minister of information, publicity and broadcasting services, at a post-Cabinet media briefing in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare.
He said duplicative and overlapping licenses and permits are now streamlined under a single regulatory authority, while over 80 percent of the mining sector fees that are considered reasonable have been maintained.
The government introduced fee variances based on an operator's capacity to pay. Notably, license fees for artisanal and small-scale miners will now be pegged at a fraction of the rates paid by large-scale firms, Ndhlovu said.
The minister also announced new application fees for lithium processing plants and gold jewelry permits. "Registration fees to deal with precious stones have been reduced and will be payable every five years, while the diamond cutting and polishing license fee has also been lowered," he added.
Beyond fee adjustments, the Cabinet also seeks to formalize small-scale mining and strengthen sector oversight by finalizing the review of the Mines and Minerals Act and digitizing mining title tracking, according to the minister.
In February, Zimbabwe suspended the export of raw minerals and lithium concentrates to maximize value retention through local processing. Currently, only mining companies with approved beneficiation plants are authorized to export, with third-party agents barred from exporting on behalf of title holders. ■