Zimbabwe

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• Exploration programme
• Exploration results

Country summary

General information

The Republic of Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east.

The topography is predominantly high plateau, with the highveld (the highest areas) at an altitude of between 1 200m and 1 500m. The greater part of Zimbabwe enjoys a sub-tropical climate due to its high altitude. Daily sunshine averages eight hours and humidity is relatively low countrywide. The country's winter months are June and July with a mean high temperature of 20ºC whilst October is the hottest month with a maximum temperature of 28ºC during the day. The rainy season starts in November and normally ends in early April.

The official language of Zimbabwe is English. However, the majority of the population speaks Shona, which is the native language of the Shona people; the country's other native language is Sindebele, which is spoken by the Matabele people.

Government organisation

Zimbabwe is a semi-presidential republic, which has a parliamentary government. Under constitutional changes in 2005, an upper chamber, the Senate, was re-instated. The House of Assembly is the lower chamber of Parliament.

President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF has been the dominant political party in Zimbabwe since independence. In 1987 then-prime minister Mugabe revised the constitution and made himself president. His party has won every election since independence. The MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, is the largest opposition party. The MDC is split into two factions, one led by Arthur Mutambara and the other by Morgan Tsvangirai. Parliamentary elections were held on 31 March 2008 amid claims of vote rigging, election fraud and intimidation by the MDC.

In mid-September 2008, after protracted negotiations overseen by the leaders of South Africa and Mozambique, Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal which sees Mugabe retain control over the army. Donor nations have adopted a 'wait-and-see' attitude, wanting to see real change being brought about by this merger before committing themselves to funding rebuilding efforts, which are estimated to take at least five years.

Mining industry

Zimbabwe's general mining policy is to sustain the development of the country's mineral resources and create employment opportunities. There is no prioritisation of minerals for exploration and development. Environmental issues in mineral exploitation are given due attention at project inception and development stages.

Recognising that there are mineral resources that can be worked profitably by small workers, the government has in place facilities that are geared towards the development of this sub-sector which in turn would yield great benefits in terms of employment creation and alleviation of the social and financial status of indigenous Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe’s mining industry is focused on a diverse range of small-to-medium sized mining operations. The most important minerals produced by Zimbabwe include gold, PGMs, asbestos, chromite, coal and base metals. The mining industry contributes approximately 8% towards the country’s GDP.

Due to the general small scale nature of mining activities in Zimbabwe, there are an estimated 100 000 - 300 000 informal miners active throughout Zimbabwe. Lowed commodity prices have had a severe affect on small operations and as a result several have closed down. Some 35 different metals and minerals are produced, with the formal mining industry employing some 57 000 people, although there have been significant job losses as a result of low commodity prices, production cutbacks and closures.

The Mines and Minerals Act was enacted in 1961 and a number of amendments have been made since then. All minerals are vested in the President and one requires rights to work mineral deposits through an application to the Mining Commissioners. Mining activity is open to both local and foreign individuals and companies.

Items	Discussion
Geological	The most important minerals produced by Zimbabwe include gold, PGMs, asbestos, chromite, coal and base metals.
Climate	The greater part of Zimbabwe enjoys a sub-tropical climate due to its high altitude. The rainy season starts in November and normally ends in early April. Climate does not pose a risk to mining operations.
Social	Low population density with mostly very poor subsistence farmers in rural areas.
Political	Zimbabwe is currently governed in terms of a power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe (Zanu-PF) and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC).
Legal	Mining laws are in place as well as dispute resolution structures. The allocation of mining rights is well controlled.
Environmental	Environmental issues in mineral exploitation are given due attention at project inception and development stages.
Security	No significant internal military threat with low levels of criminal activity.