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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
The
social, economic and environmental implications of diamond mining
in Chiadzwa
Centre
for Research and Development
April 16, 2013
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Overview
In recent years,
the Zimbabwe government has been heavily criticised for controversial
macro and micro economic policies that have plummeted the country
into a deep economic crisis. The Economic Structural Adjustment
of the 1990s, the Fast Track Land Reform and Resettlement Programme
(LRRP Fast Track) of the early 2000s, Operation Murambatsvina of
2005 and Operation Chikorokoza Chapera are examples of policies
that negatively affected communities. The working class, peasant
farmers and the vulnerable were plunged into abject poverty. The
United Nations estimates that by the end of 2008 over six million
people in Zimbabwe faced severe food shortages and were dependent
on emergency international food aid. Only six per cent of rural
schools were operating. Fewer than six per cent of the population
had jobs. As many as three million people had fled the economic
hardships to neighbouring countries and abroad (PAC 2009).
The economic
situation, prevailing since the early 1990s forced many Zimbabweans
to look for alternative sources of livelihood. The last two or so
decades have seen a large number of artisanal and small scale miners
mostly involved in gold and diamond mining. These are regarded as
viable sources of a living income because of the high value of the
minerals. Despite recognising the importance of these activities
as alternative sources of livelihood, the government regard the
activities as illegal apart from cases where the small-scale miner
has been registered. There are thousands of such cases throughout
Zimbabwe.
Diamond
mining in Chiadzwa started as an illegal activity carried out
by members of the community who were attempting to find alternative
sources of livelihood. It is said that by 2006, De Beers (a South
African Diamond Mining Company) had undertaken some feasibility
studies and prospecting in Chiadzwa after being granted a prospecting
order by the government (The Zimbabwe Independent, October 3, 2006,
page1; PAC, 2009). The presence of diamonds was not overtly declared
but some illicit visits by De Beers’ staff prompted locals
into finding out that there were diamonds in the area. Although
locals realised that the stones were valuable, they were not aware
of the exact value of the diamonds. For this reason they traded
the diamonds for such commodities as soft drinks or cigarettes in
what can be said to have been some form of barter trade. However,
local community members soon became aware that the mineral was very
valuable and this led to what can best be described as ‘a
diamond rush.’
What started
as an alternative means of survival soon attracted the attention
of the international community with buyers and miners coming from
far and wide. When government eventually intervened, many people
had already firmly established themselves in the diamond mining
and trading activity. It is a dichotomy that at inception the government
seem not to realise the illegal activity. Later however, the same
government harassed and arrested community members who were involved
in diamond mining and trading. The ensuing conflict led to many
people being killed during a military clean-up exercise of the area
at the end of 2008. Hospital officials at Mutare General Hospital
reported on one occasion the arrival of 75 bodies believed to have
been killed in the ‘Chiadzwa conflict.’ It is also said
that hospitals in other parts of Manicaland Province, including
Rusape, Chipinge and Chimanimani had received their own consignments
of dead bodies.
The project
sought to document the progression of events in Chiadzwa in terms
diamond mining and trading, the socio-economic and environmental
impacts and the conflict between authorities, (government agencies)
and the local communities. The project has as its objective to inform
the degree of adherence to the doctrine of “Permanent Sovereignty
over Natural Resources.” It is hoped that the project will
inform community members of their rights in relation to natural
resource allocation and development.
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