The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development on Monday said it had extended the deadline for regularisation of mining rights to 31 December 2026.
In a public notice issued by Secretary for Mines and Mining Development, Dr. Thomas Utete Wushe, the Ministry said all holders of mining rights, regardless of scale, who have outstanding statutory obligations are required to regularise on or before 31 December 2026.
The Ministry said affected holders must engage their respective Provincial Mining Offices without delay, settle all outstanding statutory obligations or obtain an approved payment plan, secure surveyed coordinates and complete all outstanding regularisation requirements, and submit and finalise the regularisation applications well before the deadline.
“Failure to regularise by 31 December 2026 will result in forfeiture and/or other enforcement action in accordance with the Mines and Minerals Act [Chapter 21:05],” the Ministry said.
The extension follows a request by the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) for a 90-day moratorium after small-to-medium scale miners struggled to meet the previous deadline of 30 August 2026. The Ministry said the new date of 31 December 2026 will be final, with no further extensions, and ZMF has been tasked to mobilise its members to comply and submit periodic progress reports.
The regularisation comes against a background of a backlog of unregularised claims and enforcement of the use-it-or-lose-it policy, where idle and non-compliant claims are liable to forfeiture. Government has previously repossessed concessions and forfeited thousands of claims for non-payment as it moves to curb speculative holding of ground.
It is also part of a broader formalisation drive in which the Ministry has deployed teams to provinces to clear licence backlogs, with registration seen as the first step to formalise artisanal and small-scale miners and ensure compliance with citizenship, ownership and environmental requirements.
Meanwhile, the Ministry also commenced nationwide blitz inspections of alluvial chrome mining operations and processing plants effective 25 September 2026, starting with Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Midlands Provinces, to enforce compliance with provisions on designated minerals.
“The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has begun nationwide blitz inspections of alluvial chrome mining and processing plants, effective 25 September 2026, to enforce compliance with mining laws.
“Non-compliant operations face suspension and penalties. Processing plants will also be inspected for regulatory compliance,” it said.
The Ministry also encouraged the public to report suspected illegal alluvial chrome mining to a relevant provincial mining director.
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