Govt standardizes RDC mining levies in major win for ZMF

HARARE— Government has standardized Rural District Council (RDC) land development levies in the mining sector, a move hailed as a major victory for the Zimbabwe Mining Federation (ZMF) following its sustained advocacy for fee reforms, Express Mail Zim can report. The decision was approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, during its Thirteenth sitting chaired by President Dr. Mnangagwa as part of a wider review of licences, permits, levies and fees in the mining sector.

“The Cabinet approval of the RDC levies for land development ends the inconsistent and often prohibitive charges that miners have faced across different districts,” said Josh Chidziva a mining expert. ZMF has been at the forefront of lobbying for the variation and standardization of RDC fees, arguing that the disparities were burdening small-scale and artisanal miners and stifling production. The Federation’s relentless and vocal campaign has now yielded results, with the new policy bringing uniformity and predictability to the levy structure.

Other highlights of the review include the streamlining of duplicative and overlapping licences under a single regulatory authority, the reduction of registration fees for dealing in precious stones and the scrapping of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s Trading on Mining Location fee. Cabinet also approved fee differentials based on an operator’s capacity to pay, with artisanal and small-scale miners now paying a fraction of the fees charged to large-scale firms. Over 80 percent of reasonable mining sector fees have been maintained.

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New regulatory fees were also introduced, including a Gold Jewellery permit and an application fee for the registration of Approved Processing Plants for lithium. The diamond cutting and polishing licence fee has been reduced. Cabinet further acknowledged ongoing policy and legislative reforms, including the review of the Mines and Minerals Act, the development of the Minerals Development Policy and the operationalization of the Mining Cadastre System to ensure transparent and efficient licensing.

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