Zimbabwe Government Cracks Down on Illegal Chrome Mining

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has launched nationwide inspections of alluvial chrome mining operations and processing plants as the government moves to enforce compliance with the country's mining laws. The inspections, which began on 25 September 2026, will initially target operations in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Midlands provinces before being extended to other parts of the country. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Thomas Utete Wushe said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that chrome mining activities were conducted within the legal framework. "The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has begun nationwide blitz inspections of alluvial chrome mining operations and processing plants, effective 25 September 2026, to enforce compliance with mining laws," Dr Wushe said. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Under Section 222 of the Mines and Minerals Act [Chapter 21:05], chromite is classified as a designated mineral. The ministry said Section 225 of the Act requires anyone seeking to work an alluvial or eluvial chromite deposit to obtain an order from the Mining Affairs Board. Dr Wushe warned that mining operations found to be in breach of the regulations could face suspension and other penalties. The inspections will also cover chrome processing plants to determine whether they are complying with the relevant regulatory requirements. Dr Wushe said the government was concerned with ensuring that activities across the chrome mining and processing value chain were conducted legally. "Non-compliant operations face suspension and penalties. Processing plants will also be inspected for regulatory compliance," he said. The government has also appealed to members of the public to assist authorities by reporting suspected illegal alluvial chrome mining activities. Zimbabwe has significant chrome resources with the mineral forming an important part of the country's mining sector. The latest inspections come as authorities intensify efforts to regulate mining activities and ensure that mineral resources are extracted and processed in accordance with the law. The ministry urged members of the public to report suspected illegal alluvial chrome operations to the relevant authorities. Read the original article on 263Chat . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.