British firms buy Chiadzwa diamonds

By Takunda Maodza (18/06/10)

British and Belgian companies have been buying diamonds from the Chiadzwa fields while their governments claim the gems are "bloody" and Zimbabwe should not be given Kimberley Process Certification to export them.

The revelations are contained in a report — which The Herald has in its possession — detailing who has been benefiting from the Chiadzwa resource.

The report was compiled by an independent investigator on behalf of the Government, The Herald is reliably informed.

Though State officials yesterday professed ignorance of the existence of the report, it has been established that the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, through the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, had on two occasions this year shipped diamonds from Chiadzwa to the United Kingdom.

Industry experts yesterday said the revelations exposed Western hypocrisy on the matter as the exports could "conceivably be achieved without the home governments in question being aware".

The shipments, both of them in January, consisted of 711,02 carats and 26 264 carats of diamonds to the UK on separate occasions in January this year.

The country also sold diamonds from Chiadzwa to Belgium on five occasions between 2007 and October last year.

Belgium is a centre for the international diamond trade and is influential in KP Certification Scheme processes.

However, Belgian government officials have not as yet been publicly quoted condemning Zimbabwe’s diamond industry.

Shipments to Belgium began on May 26, 2007 with two consignments of 3 706,63 carats and 157 963,71 carats.

On May 21, 2009 a further 87 307,09 carats found their way to Belgium and another 61 655,44 carats on October 15, 2009.

The United Arab Emirates was also a major recipient of diamonds from Chiadzwa with exports to South Africa

having also been made on three occasions.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu yesterday declined to comment on the issue, referring all queries to the ZMDC.

Efforts to get a comment from ZMDC were fruitless last night.

The parastatal partners Mbada Holdings and Canadile Miners at the Chiadzwa fields in Marange.

The lobby to blacklist Zimbabwe has intensified in recent days as the key KP intercessional meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, approaches.

The meeting is scheduled for next week and international stakeholders will discuss the state of the diamond industry.

Earlier this month, KP monitor for Zimbabwe Mr Abbey Chikane of South Africa said the country had met minimum requirements and he was ready to certify its diamonds for export.

In his report, issued after his second fact-finding mission, Mr Chikane said he was impressed by security arrangements at Chiadzwa, describing them as better than those in DRC, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Government has said Zimbabwe will sell its diamonds with or without the KP certificate if its enemies continued to derail its efforts to export its precious stones.

Government has also placed a ban on exports of diamonds from other fields until those from Chiadzwa are certified.