ZIMBABWE is sitting on two million diamond carats worth more than US$100 million, a record extraction that could greatly boost the country’s economic turnaround efforts, a Cabinet minister has said.
In an interview last week, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Cde Obert Mpofu(pictured), said the diamonds were mined at the Chiadzwa diamond fields in the last two months.
He said authorities were working to satisfy Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) conditions before trading the precious stones.
He revealed that foreign experts, among them Namibians and South Africans, were assisting in this regard.
“We have enough product now to change the fortunes of this country,” he said.“I cannot, however, at the moment state when the sales will be conducted save to say that we will give the go-ahead once all the stakeholders are satisfied.”
Cde Mpofu added that Government would ensure Zimbabweans benefited from diamond trade despite concerted efforts by its detractors to sideline local gems on the international market.
He said the two million carats were an indication that more benefits could accrue from operations in Chiadzwa.
“People can howl and bark, but we are going ahead,” he said.
“We are aware that detractors are trying to influence the KPCS. However, the region is behind us and so are other countries in the international arena.”
Late last year, the Government commissioned two investors to partner the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) in extracting the mineral at the diamond fields.
Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Mining Company promptly set up giant plants, an innovation which vastly increased production.
Although the former’s bid to auction 300 000 carats last month was shelved on a point of procedure, experts have identified diamond mining as a ready avenue for solving local economic challenges.
They say the companies’ capacity means the country can readily pay for essentials such as drug purchases, power imports and also cater for Government’s wage bill.
Speaking after a ministerial delegation toured the diamond fields last November, the Minister of State Enterprises and Parastatals, Mr Gabuza Gabbuza, who is a metallurgist by training, concurred that “our diamonds can solve our fiscal problems”.
Cde Mpofu said complying with KPCS specifications was a prerequisite for diamond operations, including trade in the resource.
He said it was, therefore, necessary for Mbada Diamonds to follow suit.
He, however, defended the company’s sale bid, saying it had done “nothing wrong”.
“The investors did not do anything wrong: they were not banned.
“They thought they were ready, but certain procedures had to be followed and this is what they are also working on,” said the minister.
“It has to be known that we won’t be deterred, as we want everything to be in order so that the diamond sale can proceed.
“What impresses me, though, is what the two companies have done in three months despite the pressure that detractors were trying to exert through the KPCS.”
(sundaymail.co.zw)
