A group linked to the ruling party has criticized proposed mining legislation for failing to adequately protect indigenous and small-scale operators, calling for stronger measures to reserve certain activities for local participants. Miners for Economic Development voiced concerns about the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill during a gathering on Friday at Shamrock Mine in Gweru, where National Coordinator Coussie Mcleame Anashe said the draft law needs clearer language distinguishing between mechanized and non-mechanized operations.
The organization advocates reserving strategic mineral extraction for citizens while limiting foreign companies to partnership roles and processing activities. These views mirror objections raised by Parliament's legal oversight body, which recently flagged constitutional problems in multiple sections of the proposal. Committee Chairman Edison Zvobgo Junior told legislators on Tuesday that the bill discriminates against artisanal operators by excluding them from key definitions, potentially violating equality protections based on economic status.
Additional concerns center on appeal procedures that bar rejected stocking agent applicants from reapplying for five years after denial, which reviewers deemed unreasonably restrictive. The committee also criticized provisions giving provincial directors broad authority to reject prospecting license applications without clear standards for determining whether candidates meet fitness requirements. President Emmerson Mnangagwa had previously declined to approve an earlier version of the legislation in 2018.
The organization advocates reserving strategic mineral extraction for citizens while limiting foreign companies to partnership roles and processing activities. These views mirror objections raised by Parliament's legal oversight body, which recently flagged constitutional problems in multiple sections of the proposal. Committee Chairman Edison Zvobgo Junior told legislators on Tuesday that the bill discriminates against artisanal operators by excluding them from key definitions, potentially violating equality protections based on economic status.
Additional concerns center on appeal procedures that bar rejected stocking agent applicants from reapplying for five years after denial, which reviewers deemed unreasonably restrictive. The committee also criticized provisions giving provincial directors broad authority to reject prospecting license applications without clear standards for determining whether candidates meet fitness requirements. President Emmerson Mnangagwa had previously declined to approve an earlier version of the legislation in 2018.
