By Business Reporter – Tuesday 25 February 2020
LOCAL NEWS – HARARE (Mining Index) – MINERS are not enthused with delays in implementation of the automation of the Mining Cadastre Information System, over one year after Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube allocated US$1.7 million towards operationalization of the project.
A mining cadastre is the cornerstone of a secure mineral rights system and records the geographical location, ownership and time validity of mining rights. It also facilitates compliance with the payment of fees and/or other requirements to ensure the validity of a concession.
The mining cadastre portal will enable government to regulate and obtain value from mining operations while making mining cadastre information available to investors.
The Mining Cadastre will include information provided by all provinces, districts and communities in Zimbabwe, published as online information on mineral rights.
The much awaited cadastre system is an e-government system through which stakeholders in the Zimbabwean mining industry will be able to administer their mineral rights online and check Mining Cadastre Map Portals which provide a spatial view into the mining cadastre data.
During the launch of the US$12 billion mining target set FY2023, Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando reiterated the need for Zimbabwe to have an operational online platform to access mining information.
As Zimbabwean miners eagerly wait to join a club of a few countries whose mining applications are done online and in real time, players in the mining sector expressed concern over the delay, calling upon the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) to intervene in speeding up the process.
“Unfortunately up to now, nothing is online yet. When are they going to implement this? We don’t need to visit the Ministry of Mines offices to enquire simple things. We need to move with technology,” said Gorden Nyabunze, an exploration geophysicist who also does mineral exploration and mining consultancy.
ZMF president concurred saying implementation of the cadastre system was long overdue, and promised to seek update from the relevant ministry.
The web-based platform is also expected to assist miners to interact directly with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in submission of new applications, view licenses or permit details, uploading of statutory reports and check application status online and in real time.
Successful implementation of a modern mining cadastre requires the development of a database of mining licenses with their status, location, ownership, fees and dues paid and other relevant information.
The cadastre system is expected to benefit Zimbabwe’s extractives industry by providing a transparent channel for communication between the government and its stakeholders while enabling greater efficiency through the reduction of paper‑based submissions. ENDS// www.miningindex.co.zw
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