Harare– Newly appointed Minister of Mines, Polite Kambamura, has announced a radical five-pillar restructuring plan for the ministry, mandated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to overhaul the sector, boost state revenue, and ensure communities permanently benefit from mineral wealth.

Speaking to journalists soon after he was sworn in at State House (Thursday), Kambamura declared an end to “haphazard mining” and promised a crackdown on mineral smuggling and low-quality investments, signaling a significant shift in the government’s approach to managing the country’s resources.

“The president has advised me to improve the operations of the ministry for the benefit of the government… and to make sure that we protect the communities so that people benefit from their mineral resources,” Kambamura stated.

The cornerstone of his plan is a move from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to enforced “Corporate Investment.” This social pillar mandates that mining companies structure investments to leave tangible, lasting assets for communities.

“We are going to make sure that our people benefit from their God-given resources… so that people get something even after mining projects close,” he said, acknowledging a widespread grievance where communities are left with little after resource depletion.

To increase government revenue, the economic pillar will focus on a complete restructuring of the ministry’s cadastral system and launching a nationwide aeromagnetic survey.

“We will be able to quantify our mineral reserves… so that when investors come, we negotiate over deals knowing the reserves that we have,” Kambamura explained. He also pledged to tighten legislation on mineral exports “so that people don’t continue to smuggle… and we get the maximum export receipts.”

In a major bureaucratic change, the minister announced the creation of an environment department within the Mines Ministry, removing oversight from the Ministry of Environment.

“Considering the complexity and the destructive nature of mining, it’s time we put an environment department in the ministry,” he said, arguing that mining-specific experts would better handle Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).

The innovation and technology pillar will introduce drones, remote sensing, and “smart mining” for surveillance and environmental monitoring. This pillar also includes a directive making it “mandatory for mining companies to absorb students on attachment” to address graduate unemployment and ensure skills transfer.

Finally, the investment pillar will see increased scrutiny of investors. “The president said Zimbabwe is open for business, but some people have taken that to mean otherwise,” Kambamura noted. “We want quality investors who come respecting the laws of the country, respecting the communities.”

Minister Kambamura, who expressed surprise at his appointment, concluded by vowing to implement these changes to fulfill the President’s vision of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030. “I promise to do my best,” he stated.

The ambitious plan faces significant implementation challenges in a sector long plagued by governance issues, but it marks the clearest policy direction for Zimbabwe’s mines ministry in recent years.