Capacity challenges in the Ministry of Justice have slowed down the production of the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill which was supposed to have been completed by 31 October last year.
Legal Advisor at the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Jacqueline Munyonga told a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee that the draft bills is halfway done.
Responding to why the process has been slow, Deputy Attorney General, Nelson Dias revealed capacity challenges being met in completing the draft.
He said, “Let me say that legal training in our country is more oriented towards the private sector, there isn’t really the grounding in public law we require in the office… we are liable to offer but we need time to do that.”
“The pressure is on us from so many directions but we have to cut it down on in house training and our junior officers are always complaining, there is not enough time for in house training.” sic
The bill that is being created by the two Ministries of Justice and of Mines is important because it will bring clarity to the industry, investors and other relevant authorities according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, Onesimo Moyo.
Moyo said the bill will also help in the government’s ambition of a US$12 billion industry in the mining sector.
“This bill is extremely important in attracting investment into the mining sector in the country because most investors who do not see us (Zimbabwe) as not having a stable legal environment… when they hear that the law is changed they would rather say ‘let’s wait until the law is changed so that we know the environment that we are walking into.'”
“It (bill) will also pave way for the implementation of mining cadastre system (official registration of ownership) which again increases the security of tenure because the wat we are having disputes at the moment is unattainable; so we need some sound registration and administration of mining titles that will bring confidence to investors and those who have been investing.”
The parliament is drafting Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill for the second time after President Emmerson Mnangagwa turned down the first draft in 2018.
Members in the parliamentary committee that is facilitating the draft complained yesterday after Ministers of the two ministries that are working on the draft failed to appear and update on the progress.
Dias, however, said the draft can take two weeks to be produced.
