adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
Traditional leaders in Manicaland have called on local authorities to ban the allocation of business licences to foreigners in order to mitigate the leakage of diamonds through illegal channels.
In an interview with The Herald recently, Chief Zimunya said the number of foreign nationals who were seeking licences to operate businesses in the diamond-rich area had grown significantly over the past years. He said most of the foreigners were just seeking ways to gain access to the area so that they could buy diamonds from illegal miners.
“We have challenges with people who come in on the pretext of opening shops in the area, but what they are really looking for is access to the diamond fields,” he said. “They work with illegal miners who go into the mines at night and sell the diamonds to them, thus prejudicing the Government of revenue.
“We think rural district councils (RDCs) should screen the licence applications to make sure that our natural resources are not taken out of the country without benefiting us.” Chief Zimunya, who was speaking on behalf of chiefs in the area, also lamented the increase in marriages between locals and foreigners who also wanted easy access to the area.
Online Reporter