The Zimbabwean government has claimed it may assume half of all stakes in mining operations in the country.

The President, Robert Mugabe, was quoted in The Herald newspaper alluding to the lack of "absolute ownership" by the state of the country's mineral resources, with the Zimbabwean leader now aiming to dip into the nation's vast deposits of platinum and gold.

"We are going to demand that government be given 50 per cent shares in the mines," he declared.

"We cannot recognise absolute ownership of our resources. That must be corrected."

Mugabe's latest comments follows circulation of a draft bill last year that would have allowed "historically disadvantaged" Zimbabweans to hold a 49% stake in private and foreign-owned mines. That proposal caused alarm in the industry and appeared to be quickly withdrawn.  An official version of the bill has not yet been published.