Zimbabwe's Chamber of Mines gives thumbs up to Exclusive Prospecting Orders
Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - The Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ) says Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs) should be maintained as they can promote the growth of the mining sector if properly applied.
This comes after an ongoing debate on the importance of EPOs in the development of the mining industry and on whether these instruments require restructuring or removal.
EPOs are exploration titles for undertaking geo-scientific investigation that reveals the mineral potential of a defined area, introduced into the mining law of Zimbabwe in 1947.
“Our current functional legal and institutional framework, if properly enforced, can promote the critical role of EPOs in the development and growth of the mining industry. The current framework encourages both small scale and large scale (miners) to co-exist – ensuring the optimal development of the mining industry,” CoMZ, said in a statement.
The ongoing debate started as a result of Parliament’s Mines Committee members, at the beginning of the month, stating that the introduction of EPOs had resulted in high leakages of the gold output as well pushing small scale miners from pegging title space.
Further, President Emmerson Mnangagwa told delegates at a ZANU-PF Youth Convention a few days after the committee that EPOs were not serving any tangible purpose and that he was considering removing them.
“EPOs has been granted over ground where mineralisation was not known (green field) and ground where mineralisation was known to be present (brownfields) resulting in some discoveries of deposits that have been developed into major mines,” CoMZ said.
“The success rate for exploration in Zimbabwe was at 3.9% by 1984, which is high by global standards. Some of the successes include Murowa Diamonds, Trojan Nickel Mines, Freda Rebecca Mine, Blanket Mine extension, Marange Diamonds, Mhangura Copper Mines, Kanyemba Uranium Deposit, Great Dyke Platinum-Nickel-Copper deposit among others."
CoMZ, a government funded private organization and the apex mining body in Zimbabwe, recommended the state's Geological Survey Department be strengthened to better monitor exploration activities.
CoMZ said it was the duty of the regulator to craft policies, laws and the necessary institutional framework to guarantee that activities are conducted in an orderly manner and aligned to the developmental thrust of the country.
The Chamber added that important considerations including reducing the impact of mining on the environment, ensuring coexistence with other land and desired structure of the mining industry should be taken.
The world over, there is competition for ground to explore for and mine minerals among investors large and small with EPOs having been pivotal in generating geo-scientific information which has been archived and used for mining and other land uses.
-0- PANA TZ/AR 16Dec2019
