Zimbabwe wants to collect 40 tonnes of gold this year as prices reach $3,323 per ounce. The country needs just over 3,000 kilograms more to hit this goal after mining 37 tonnes last year. Success would bring in $4.27 billion from exports at current prices. Teams visit mines every three months to check who follows the rules. These visits help stop illegal mining across the country.
Mines secretary Pfungwa Kunaka believes they can reach their target through better checking. Field teams gather data from legal miners but also look for hidden operations. They can call the police when they find illegal activity. Many registered miners still break rules or fail to report all the gold they find. Local people often help officials find secret mining that happens away from main sites.
Officials plan to monitor other valuable minerals like lithium next. Under Zimbabwe law, all gold must be sold to the national refinery. The next checking period starts in July. Gold prices have jumped 40 percent since January, making this effort very important for the national economy.
Mines secretary Pfungwa Kunaka believes they can reach their target through better checking. Field teams gather data from legal miners but also look for hidden operations. They can call the police when they find illegal activity. Many registered miners still break rules or fail to report all the gold they find. Local people often help officials find secret mining that happens away from main sites.
Officials plan to monitor other valuable minerals like lithium next. Under Zimbabwe law, all gold must be sold to the national refinery. The next checking period starts in July. Gold prices have jumped 40 percent since January, making this effort very important for the national economy.
