Legal fog clouds Zimbabwe’s new minerals policy, warns watchdog

A  resources watchdog has warned that Zimbabwe’s recent strategic minerals policy rests on weak legal footing, arguing that efforts to maximise value from strategic minerals are being pursued without corresponding reform of the country’s outdated mining legislation.

The warning by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) follows the government’s declaration of lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, platinum group metals (PGMs) and rare earth elements as “critical minerals,” while gold and diamonds were classified as “strategic minerals” under a new mineral classification framework.

Under the policy, the State will hold a mandatory minimum stake in critical mineral projects through special purpose vehicles.

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