THE Mines and Mining Development ministry is stepping up its review of exclusive prospecting orders (EPOs) to tighten control over underutilised mineral claims and free up ground for serious investors, NewsDay Business understands.
This follows last year’s decision to halt the automatic renewal of expiring EPOs, a move aimed at curbing speculative land holding in Zimbabwe’s mineral-rich provinces.
Now, the ministry is shifting focus to ensure that only credible and well-resourced applicants are granted or allowed to renew EPOs.
EPOs grant exclusive rights to prospect for specified minerals within a defined area, a maximum land size of 65 000 hectares.
“What we did directly was to look at EPOs which were expiring. EPOs are supposed to run for three years and after three years, they could be renewed,” Mines and Mining Development ministry’s permanent secretary Pfungwa Kunaka told NewsDay Business in an interview.
“We know that from our inventory of EPOs, there were quite a good number which were expiring around March-April 2024.”
He clarified that contrary to public perceptions, the ministry did not suspend EPOs altogether but instead stopped their automatic renewal to avoid the chaotic land rush that typically follows expiration.
“In the past, we have had cases where, upon the expiry of an EPO, there is a rush in our properties by maybe a few people, or many people, who now rush to grab and peg in the areas that would have been freed through the expiry of an EPOs. So, we took a step, and we are projecting to try to mitigate against that,” Kunaka said.
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The ministry is now adopting a more strategic and cautious approach in the evaluation of both new and renewal applications.
“Yes, in terms of consideration of EPOs, there are many applications, some are pending, but to consider them we have to be very careful,” the permanent secretary said.
“We are looking at the capacity of those who have applied, and also the time frames that they are given, for them to be able to undertake the exploration and gravitate towards production.”
The issue of underutilised EPOs has become increasingly contentious in recent years.
A 2022 report by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association warned that lax controls on EPOs were undermining mineral sector development and called for reforms to ensure transparency and performance-based licensing.
