Mines official gets 18 months in jail for issuing licence to his mother

AN official from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, based in Matabeleland South Province, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for criminal abuse of office after unlawfully issuing a mining prospecting licence to his mother.

Rueben Ncube (42), employed as a records officer, pleaded not guilty to the charge but was convicted by Gwanda magistrate Mr Progress Murandu, who cited overwhelming evidence.

Ncube was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, with nine months suspended on condition he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years. The remaining nine months were further suspended on condition he completes 380 hours of community service at Senzangakhona Primary School.

Representing the State, Mr Shepherd Moyo said Ncube issued a prospecting licence to his mother — an act inconsistent with his official duties. Using the licence, his mother went on to obtain a mining claim in Filabusi

Mr Moyo said the offence came to light after members of the community alerted the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc).

“On 6 May 2021, while carrying out his duties as records officer at the Ministry of Mines Gwanda office, the accused unlawfully and knowingly acted contrary to his responsibilities by signing prospecting licence number 029660 AA, dated 6 May 2021, on behalf of the Mining Commissioner, in the name of Emelda Moyo — his mother.

“On 7 February 2025, the same prospecting licence was used to issue a certificate of registration for claim number 51223, registered under the name Emelda Moyo. The offence was exposed when the Mosenthals community of Insiza District filed a report with Zacc, alleging that a miner named Emelda Moyo had invaded their site claiming to hold a valid mining certificate,” said Mr Moyo.

He added that investigations revealed the community had been applying for a registration certificate for the same claim since 2022, but their applications were deliberately stalled by Ncube, who had access to all relevant files.

In 2024, the Mosenthals community discovered gold deposits at the site and began guarding the area while awaiting a certificate from the Ministry. They were shocked when served with an eviction notice stemming from a default court judgement in which Ncube had a vested interest.

Further investigations confirmed that Emelda Moyo is indeed the mother of Ncube.
“The accused, fully aware of his duties, knowingly and intentionally acted contrary to them by processing a prospecting licence in his mother’s name, thereby showing favour to her at the expense of the Mosenthals community, who had long been applying for a certificate for the same area,” Mr Moyo said.

In his defence, Ncube, represented by Mr Jabulani Ndubiwa of Mashayamombe and Partners, argued that issuing the licence was part of his assigned duties.

He stated that, in practice, prospecting licences are not signed by the provincial mining director, deputy director, or senior cadastre officers, but often by administrative staff.

Mr Ndubiwa said Ncube’s mother had applied for the licence and met all legal requirements. He argued that had she been served by any other official on that day, she would still have received the licence.

“On 6 May 2021, my client was assigned by his superiors to work in the front office, which included issuing and processing over-the-counter services such as prospecting licences. He denies showing any favour to Emelda Moyo, as she fulfilled all legal requirements.

“The licence merely conferred the right to search for minerals in a designated area — in this case, Matabeleland South. At that point, there was no guarantee she would discover any precious minerals before the licence expired,” he said. Sunday News