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Zimbabwe’s efforts to formalise artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) require a structured framework built around secure mining tenure, geological exploration, reliable production records and access to financing, the Association of Mine Surveyors of Zimbabwe (AMSZ) President Stewart Gumbi has said.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Addressing the Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe (AMMZ) 54th Annual Conference and AGM in Nyanga, Gumbi said surveyors could play a central role in transforming informal mining operations into properly structured, viable and bankable businesses.
He said formalisation should go beyond simply identifying and registering miners, requiring a technical approach that establishes where operations are located, their geological potential and the quantities they produce.
“Basically, in the sense of formalising the small-scale and artisanal-scale sector, the idea is to make their operations more manageable. In order for us to achieve that roadmap, we need to do exploration,” Gumbi said.
He noted that artisanal and small-scale miners were often operating in areas with high-value mineral potential, presenting opportunities for further geological investigation and potentially larger-scale mine development.
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“We’ve noticed that the small-scale and artisanal-scale miners, they are targeted in high-value areas. That in itself, coupled with the geological research that can be done after that, can open up quite significant reserves for development into large-scale mining operations,” he said.
Secure Tenure and Technical Records
Gumbi identified security of tenure as a critical starting point, saying surveyors could help establish clearly defined mining boundaries and provide certainty over the locations occupied by individual operators.
Through title surveys, miners would have identifiable and properly demarcated areas, helping bring greater organisation to a sector where overlapping claims and unclear mining boundaries can complicate operations.
“As surveyors, our role in that is we want to make sure that the security of tenure — this is where we come in to do title surveys and make sure that we can locate these miners and give them a distinct area and location, so that we know where they are basically,” he said.
Beyond establishing secure mining titles, Gumbi called for a structured graduation framework that would guide operators as they move from artisanal activities into more organised small-scale and eventually medium-scale mining.
He said the industry needed to develop clear stages through which miners could progress as they acquired technical capacity, accessed financing and expanded their operations.
“The brains in this room need to craft a framework of how these miners are going to graduate from each state to the next state as they access more funding and other facilities,” Gumbi said.
Production Data Could Unlock Financing
Gumbi said reliable production statistics and technical records would be essential in demonstrating the viability of small-scale mining operations to financial institutions.
Surveyors could contribute by helping miners maintain production records and generate the information needed to assess their performance, monitor growth and support applications for financing.
He also identified Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting as another important component, particularly as miners seek to meet the requirements of financial institutions.
“We need to assist our small-scale miners with technical expertise, with records and statistics that can guarantee and provide access for them to grow,” he said.
Gumbi said the proposed approach would provide a foundation for measuring progress across the sector while helping miners develop the technical and administrative capacity required to expand.
Large-Scale Partnerships Offer a Pathway
Gumbi also commended AMMZ for previously encouraging partnerships between large-scale mining companies and smaller operators, saying examples emerging since the association’s last AGM demonstrated that such arrangements could work.
He pointed to initiatives involving Bela and his colleagues, saying established mining players had demonstrated a willingness to take on the risks associated with working alongside smaller operators.
“I want to also take this opportunity to thank you because in our last AGM, we discussed issues of how large-scale mines can partner with small-scale mines, and I’m happy to allude to examples that have been shown by Mr. Bela and his colleagues here,” he said.
“They have actually taken up the risk. It’s a risky area, but they have shown that it is possible. So, formalising small-scale miners and large-scale miners has been proven to be possible.”
He urged industry players to consider the opportunities presented by such partnerships, arguing that collaboration could help address some of the risks associated with developing small-scale mining operations.
“Let’s think around the risk possibilities because it seems viable indeed,” Gumbi said.
His proposals place mine surveying, geological evaluation and production accounting at the centre of a broader formalisation approach, with the potential to improve security of tenure, strengthen the investment case for smaller operators and create pathways towards larger-scale mining.