By Nigel Pfunde
HARARE – Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr. Eng Polite Kambamura on Thursday issued a stern ultimatum to his entire ministry staff, warning that mediocrity and sluggish paperwork will no longer be tolerated as he pushed for a radical shift in work culture to transform the ministry into Government’s top performer by year’s end,reports Express Mail Zim.
Addressing senior officials, directors, provincial mining officers and support staff at the Jameson Hotel in Harare, Kambamura delivered what amounted to a no-excuses directive on processing permits, titles and correspondence without delay, treat every citizen with equal courtesy and abandon the “good enough” mindset.
“Excellence is not an accident; it is a discipline. It is built one well-handled file, one honest decision and one met deadline at a time,” Kambamura told the gathering. “What remains is for each of us to decide, individually and collectively, that good enough is no longer good enough.”
Kambamura’s address, titled “Towards the Best-Performing Ministry in Government 2026”, came as the ministry faces mounting pressure to accelerate mineral title processing and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks that have long frustrated small-scale miners and investors alike.
“Let us serve every investor, every small-scale miner and every member of the public with courtesy and competence, regardless of who they are or who they know,” Kambamura said. “The citizen who walks into our offices, or the miner working far from this building, must receive the same standard of service as the most powerful applicant.”
He warned against any form of gatekeeping or foot-dragging, insisting that professionalism means mastery of the Mines and Minerals Act and procedures so that “our decisions are sound, consistent and defensible.”
The zero-tolerance stance extended squarely to corruption, with the Minister reading a firm riot act against bribe taking and influence peddling. “This Ministry will have zero tolerance for corruption,” he declared.
“Any officer who solicits a bribe, who trades a decision for a favour, who leaks privileged information or who looks the other way for personal gain, betrays not only this institution but the nation itself.”
Kambamura gave a public assurance that lawful decisions by inspectors to suspend unsafe operations “will stand” and will not be overturned by phone calls, political pressure or corporate influence. “If I stand behind you, the President stands behind you,” he said. “But that protection comes with an obligation we must keep our own hands clean.”
The Minister also announced the establishment of a 24-Hour Mining Accident Response Call Centre which is a single national number to report accidents, collapses or entrapments at any hour, with real-time coordination of rescue and health services.
“When a miner is trapped underground at two o’clock in the morning, the speed of our response will be measured in lives,” Kambamura said.
Other key measures include the full computerisation of the Mining Cadastre System for transparent title issuance and the mobilisation of resources from Treasury, parastatals and private partners to equip offices and the inspectorate with vehicles, technology and modernised data systems.
Kambamura framed the reforms within President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s national development agenda, noting that mining remains the single largest contributor to export earnings and the clearest pathway to an upper-middle-income society by 2030. “The Second Republic has given us a clear direction; our duty is to deliver it with skill and integrity,” he said. He invoked the philosophy nyika inovakwa nevene vayo “a nation is built by its own people” adding: “A nation is built by its own people.”
The Minister concluded with a challenge to every officer in the room: “Let us be the Ministry that works hardest and works cleanest. Let us be the Ministry that other ministries study and seek to emulate. The standard has been set. What remains is the resolve of every man and woman in this room.”
