• Zimbabwe sacks Mines Minister Chitando, replaces him with deputy Polite Kambamura
  
• Dismissal follows proposal for 10% gold royalty from 2026 amid industry pushback
  
• Mining contributed 80% of exports in 2023; revenue target remains unmet

Zimbabwe’s presidency dismissed Mines Minister Winston Chitando on Monday after more than a year in the post and appointed Polite Kambamura to replace him.

The announcement by presidential cabinet secretary Martin Rushwaya did not give reasons for the dismissal, according to local and international media including Bloomberg. The move comes days after the government presented a proposal to introduce a 10 percent royalty on gold starting in 2026, a measure aimed at increasing government revenue amid a rising gold market.

The proposal has already drawn concern from industry players, with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation warning it could discourage investment. Kambamura, previously the deputy mines minister, now takes charge of one of the country’s most important economic sectors. Mining accounted for 80 percent of Zimbabwe’s exports and 19 percent of government revenue in 2023, according to the Chamber of Mines.

The government has set a target of raising annual mining revenue to 12 billion dollars. The goal was originally set for 2023 but has not been achieved, with revenues reaching only 5.4 billion dollars in 2024. Similar reforms to the proposed gold royalty have been announced in recent years to stimulate sector growth.

These measures include incentives to develop domestic lithium-processing capacity, following the government’s announcement earlier this year that exports of unprocessed lithium concentrate would be suspended from January 2027.

It is unclear whether Kambamura will maintain Chitando’s policy direction. One of his immediate tasks will be the gold-royalty proposal, which is currently under parliamentary review. Beyond lithium and gold, Zimbabwe is also a major producer of platinum-group metals and diamonds.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou