Zimbabwe SI 5 of 2023 — Base Minerals Export Control (Unbeneficiated Base Mineral Ores) Order, 2023

Mechanism

SI 5 of 2023 is the foundational, horizontal successor to SI 213 of 2022 (which banned only lithium-bearing-ore exports). It prohibits export of any "unbeneficiated base mineral ore" — defined as ore that has not undergone processing within Zimbabwe to any extent — across the whole base-minerals category as defined under the Base Minerals Export Control Act [Chapter 21:05], carving out only precious metals, precious stones, oil and natural gas. A written ministerial permit is the sole route to export raw ore, and is available only where the applicant demonstrates compelling reasons that the ore cannot be beneficiated domestically, or for genuine assay samples in quantities proportionate to the testing required.

This order is the statutory base that SI 57 of 2023 (2023-04-14-zimbabwe-si-57-base-minerals-export-control-amendment) later amended with lithium-specific citizenship and Approved-Processing-Plant conditions — SI 57's own filing already documents this lineage but SI 5 itself had not previously been filed as its own register entry.

Downstream implications

• Establishes the general permit-or-beneficiate architecture that every

subsequent Zimbabwean base-minerals measure (SI 57/2023, the 2026 ministerial lithium-concentrate ban, the 2026 minerals value-chain framework) operates within.

• Extends export exposure beyond lithium to chrome, copper, nickel and

coal producers, all of which now require the same ministerial permit route as lithium miners did after SI 213/2022.

Open questions

• Whether any non-lithium base-mineral exporter (chrome, copper, nickel,

coal) has been granted or refused a permit under SI 5, and on what compelling-reasons basis — no enforcement case was located in this filing pass.