Insiza Rural District Council (Mining and Mineral Panning) By-laws, 2025

These by-laws bring mining and mineral panning in the Insiza Rural District Council area under council oversight. Holders of prospecting, exploration and mining rights must submit certified copies of their licences to the council together with the EIA report, environmental management plan or EIA certificate issued by EMA, and must carry out mine closure and rehabilitation measures.

Project developers must lodge an EIA application before starting operations, and the by-laws establish an Environmental Degradation Fund, allow the council to carry out rehabilitation works itself, address corporate social responsibility, provide for inspection of mining activities and records, require a permit for an elution plant, and require every authorised miner to pay the council royalties, levies, licence and other fees it approves.

Fees are US$150 for EIA consultation and US$200 for inspection of EIA reports. The environmental rehabilitation levy is US$750 for artisanal mining Class A and Class B, medium scale and large scale gold mining, and US$1 000 for a bow mill milling permit; the remaining categories, the rehabilitation fund levy and most council land development levies are printed as nil, with medium and large scale gold mining land levies referred to a third schedule.

Penalties are US$500 for panning any mineral without a licence or permit from both the council and the Ministry of Mines, for failing to submit EIA documents, for starting operations before lodging them, for failing to reclaim disused mines and for failing to rehabilitate after abandonment or closure. Failing to submit mining licences to the council is printed as nil.