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This article participates on the following special index pages:

  • Marange, Chiadzwa and other diamond fields and the Kimberley Process - Index of articles


  • Update on Marange
    Centre for Research and Development
    April 02, 2013

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    Paragraph number 18 of the final Communiqué from the Kimberly Process Plenary meeting in Washington DC on 30 November 2012 that lifted the special monitoring on Marange Diamonds recommended to the Government of Zimbabwe, among other issues, to put measures in place that immediately address the situation of artisanal mining in order to combat smuggling and address security incidents at the mines. The government’s reluctance to address these issues has been confirmed by the granting of more mining licenses in Marange to foreign entities at the expense of local communities a situation that continues to promote illegal artisanal panning activities in the area. To date seven companies namely: Marange Resources, Ge Nyame, Anjin, Mbada, Zimbabwe Diamonds, Jinan, and Diamond Mining Company (DMC) are either government owned or are joint ventures between entities in government and foreigners. It also must be noted that no known efforts have been made by government to grant a single diamond mining concession to the local community in Marange.

    In his presentation before the Mines and Energy Portfolio Committee workshop held at Leopard Rock in Mutare on 26 March 2013 attended by CRD, Michael Fungati, a director in the Ministry of Indigenisation, Youth and Economic Empowerment could not convince legislators and civil society representatives alike for his Ministry’s reasons of circumventing both the Parliament and the local MPs in the implementation of Community Ownership Schemes. Mr Mungati could not also explain why there were no funds remitted to Zimunya/Marange Ownership Scheme eight months after the scheme was launched. Our worst fears were then confirmed by the Provincial Administrator of Manicaland Mr. Fungai Mbetsa during his presentation on the Relocation Model that was used for Marange when he was asked about the origins of Rera a new company that has already started relocating villagers in Marange.

    According to him, the biggest challenge was only to find land to relocate more than 14 000 families affected by the mining operations and that he has no knowledge of these companies because everything is coming from Harare through the Ministry of Mines without any consultations from local government. His statement sharply contradicted with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines Mr. Prince Mupazviripo who in the same venue, alluded to the fact that local government is involved in the issuance of special mining grants through the District Affairs Board whose recommendations are then forwarded to the mining affairs board, the Ministry of mines and then the President. The incoherence in policy implementation reflected here by the ministry of mines, Indigenisation, local government and Environmental Management Agency (EMA) in the extractive sector remains a governance crisis that must be addressed if reforms in this sector are ever to benefit our impoverished communities.

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