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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) has called for cooperation of all stakeholders to restore the integrity of diamond mining and bring sanity to the sector. Speaking at an all-stakeholders diamond security conference in Mutare last week, ZCDC chief executive Dr Morris Mpofu (pictured) said diamond security played an integral part in growing the economy through diamond production.

“The global stakeholders such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, the World Diamond Council and the African Diamond Producers’ Association are key watchdogs to ensure that there is sanity in the mining of diamond,” he said.

“So, what is important is for us as a collective unit to have one common objective – to preserve the integrity of the diamond mining in the country so that our diamonds can be sold internationally. We need to engage each other when there is a threat to that integrity.”

Dr Mpofu reiterated the importance of engagement with stakeholders to come up with sustainable solutions to challenges that arise within the diamond mining communities.

He said members of the community should desist from taking their problems with the company to foreign platforms as it destroyed the integrity of diamond mining in the country.

“What we need to avoid is being negative offshore,” said Dr Mpofu. “We need to engage each other locally before we paint the country in a bad light in foreign countries without talking things through among ourselves. It does not help for us to paint a wrong picture inter- nationally.”

Dr Mpofu’s statements came after demonstrations held in March by villagers in Marange who complained that they had not benefited much from the mining of diamonds in their area.

The villagers also raised concern over the restriction of movement within the community, which has seen villagers being asked to carry their identity documents at all times to prove they are resident in Marange.

The conference held last week sought to bring together all stakeholders and address the security issues, among others issues.
Dr Mpofu said ZCDC also had matters of concern with regards to operations at Chiadzwa.

He said illegal miners who came to Chiadzwa to pan for diamonds were a cause for concern as their behaviour resulted in fatalities that affected the image of diamond mining in the country.

Dr Mpofu said Government needed to deal with illicit trade in diamonds by black market syndicates that usually bankrolled the illegal miners.

“Most of the illegal miners are not from Chiadzwa and they usually come prepared to pay a $30 fine if they are caught because they are funded by the illegal market,” he said.

“As long as we don’t address the challenge of black market in the diamond industry, we will continue to have problems compromising product security.

“These people are impacting on the value of the diamond that is benefitting the community so we need to work together to stop them.”