Minister orders culture shift in Mines ministry,sets sights on “Best Performing” govt department by year end

NewsBy Nyasha ChumaHARARE – Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr.Eng Polite Kambamura on Thursday issued a direct challenge to his ministry’s staff, declaring that “good enough is no longer good enough” and setting a hard deadline for the ministry to become the best-performing in the entire Government by the close of 2026.Addressing senior officials, directors, and provincial officers at Jameson Hotel, Kambamura said the ministry’s ambition to help drive Zimbabwe towards an upper-middle-income society under Vision 2030 would fail unless the institution itself underwent a fundamental change in work culture and mindset.“If we want a world-class mining industry, we must first become a world-class Ministry,” Kambamura told the gathering. “Excellence is not an accident; it is a discipline. It is built one well-handled file, one honest decision and one met deadline at a time.”The Minister, who was speaking under the theme “Towards the Best-Performing Ministry in Government – 2026”, said the target would be measured strictly by results – not promises.

He demanded punctuality, presence, mastery of the Mines and Minerals Act, and uniform service for all citizens regardless of their connections.“The citizen who walks into our offices, or the miner working far from this building, must receive the same standard of service as the most powerful applicant,” he said.Kambamura also declared zero tolerance for corruption, warning that any officer who solicited a bribe, traded a decision for a favour, or leaked privileged information would be treated as having betrayed the nation.“Any officer who solicits a bribe, who trades a decision for a favour, who leaks privileged information or who looks the other way for personal gain, betrays not only this institution but the nation itself,” Kambamura said.“A clean Ministry is a strong Ministry.”In a separate major announcement, the Minister revealed the immediate establishment of a 24-Hour Mining Accident Response Call Centre, following the deaths of 64 artisanal and small-scale miners in the first quarter of this year alone.“When a miner is trapped underground at two o’clock in the morning, the speed of our response will be measured in lives,” Kambamura said. “Let it never be said that help came too late because no one was listening.”The centre will operate a single national number, logging every report of collapse or entrapment and coordinating rescue services around the clock.Kambamura ended with a direct appeal to staff to abandon mediocrity and embrace personal accountability citing drinking during working hours by some staffers.“What remains is the resolve of every man and woman in this room,” he said. “Let us go out and make this the finest year in the history of this Ministry.”Leave a ReplyCancel reply NewsBy Nyasha ChumaHARARE – Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr.Eng Polite Kambamura on Thursday issued a direct challenge to his ministry’s staff, declaring that “good enough is no longer good enough” and setting a hard deadline for the ministry to become the best-performing in the entire Government by the close of 2026.Addressing senior officials, directors, and provincial officers at Jameson Hotel, Kambamura said the ministry’s ambition to help drive Zimbabwe towards an upper-middle-income society under Vision 2030 would fail unless the institution itself underwent a fundamental change in work culture and mindset.“If we want a world-class mining industry, we must first become a world-class Ministry,” Kambamura told the gathering.

“Let us go out and make this the finest year in the history of this Ministry.” HARARE – Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr.Eng Polite Kambamura on Thursday issued a direct challenge to his ministry’s staff, declaring that “good enough is no longer good enough” and setting a hard deadline for the ministry to become the best-performing in the entire Government by the close of 2026. Addressing senior officials, directors, and provincial officers at Jameson Hotel, Kambamura said the ministry’s ambition to help drive Zimbabwe towards an upper-middle-income society under Vision 2030 would fail unless the institution itself underwent a fundamental change in work culture and mindset. “If we want a world-class mining industry, we must first become a world-class Ministry,” Kambamura told the gathering.

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He demanded punctuality, presence, mastery of the Mines and Minerals Act, and uniform service for all citizens regardless of their connections. “The citizen who walks into our offices, or the miner working far from this building, must receive the same standard of service as the most powerful applicant,” he said. Kambamura also declared zero tolerance for corruption, warning that any officer who solicited a bribe, traded a decision for a favour, or leaked privileged information would be treated as having betrayed the nation.

“Any officer who solicits a bribe, who trades a decision for a favour, who leaks privileged information or who looks the other way for personal gain, betrays not only this institution but the nation itself,” Kambamura said. In a separate major announcement, the Minister revealed the immediate establishment of a 24-Hour Mining Accident Response Call Centre, following the deaths of 64 artisanal and small-scale miners in the first quarter of this year alone.

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