Harare, 25 November 2025 -- Zimbabwe plans to strip mining companies of their operating licences if they fail to meet environmental standards, under a new government policy designed to enforce sustainable mining practices.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando told NewsDay that the forthcoming Responsible Mining Initiative Part 2 will introduce binding sanctions -- including the cancellation of mining titles -- for firms that neglect land rehabilitation or breach environmental regulations. "This new phase will address head-on the issues relating to environmental damage, which will include loss of mining title," Chitando said.
The policy represents one of the most forceful regulatory shifts in decades, responding to growing public outrage over environmental harm attributed to the mining sector. Mining accounts for more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe's export earnings, driven by gold, platinum and lithium, but operations have left rivers polluted, landscapes deforested and pits abandoned across provinces such as Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland West.
Local communities have long complained of toxic waste, unsafe working conditions and a lack of accountability, while civil society groups accuse authorities of overlooking court rulings and protecting politically connected operators. Both artisanal and industrial mining have been blamed for turning once-clear rivers into sludge and destroying crops and livelihoods.
Chitando said the new framework will move beyond voluntary measures by strengthening oversight, improving coordination with the Environmental Management Agency, and requiring mine closure and rehabilitation plans to be in place before extraction begins.
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