Source: Chinese Ambassador holds talks with Mines Minister on minerals exports suspension – herald
Lincoln Towindo
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Ding Zhou on Tuesday held a meeting with Mines and Mining Development Minister, Dr Polite Kambamura, where the two discussed recent policy developments in the mining sector.
Posting on social media, Amb Zhou described the discussions as “productive and in-depth”, noting that they covered the latest reforms in Zimbabwe’s mining industry.
He said Minister Kambamura commended the role Chinese enterprises are playing in unlocking Zimbabwe’s mineral potential through investments in value addition, job creation and industrialisation.
“I appreciate the Zimbabwean Government’s commitment to strengthening its mining sector by enhancing transparency, efficiency and policy continuity in line with market principles – key to moving up the value chain, boosting local processing capacity and advancing sustainable development goals,” said Amb Zhou.
The remarks come in the wake of Government’s recent suspension of exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrates, a move aimed at stopping the shipment of multi-mineral ores declared as single commodities and ensuring Zimbabwe fully benefits from beneficiation and proper mineral separation before export.
Last week, Minister Kambamura announced the immediate suspension of exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, including consignments already in transit that had not yet left the country’s borders.
Regulatory authorities, including the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), were directed to enforce the measure without exception.
Mines and Mining Development Permanent Secretary Professor Pfungwa Kunaka said the policy is designed to ensure compliance with Zimbabwe’s value-addition thrust, noting that most local ores are multi-mineral in nature and contain more than one valuable element.
Under the enhanced compliance regime, exporters are now required to provide proof of mining title, evidence that consignments have undergone mineral content testing and weight verification, as well as complete supporting documentation before export permits are issued.
Government is also strengthening mineral laboratory capacity to test export consignments for composition and verify declared weights to curb under-declaration, misclassification and revenue leakages.
More than US$1 billion has been invested in lithium processing and value-addition plants across Zimbabwe in recent years, with several facilities expected to become operational next year.
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