Govt to continue engaging West: PM

Addressing journalists soon after a tour of the four companies that are carrying out mining operations at the Marange Diamond fields in Chiadzwa, Prime Minister Tsvangirai said he believed that the two companies, Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources, which continue to be on the West’s sanctions list, do not deserve such treatment.
The Prime Minister and his party MDC-T have, however, in the past called for the sanctions to be imposed on the country and politicians from Zanu-PF.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his party have even been accused of failing to acknowledge that the country is under sanctions, preferring to call them “restrictive measures.”
“I and my colleagues in Government appreciate the contribution that diamond mining is making to our economy. As a country we need to maximise on this,” said Prime Minister Tsvangirai soon after touring Marange Resources.
“As principals we have revived the re-engage committee to deal with the issue of restrictive measures. A country that produces oil should not be stopped from selling its product.”
The Prime Minister said he was impressed with the mining activities of the four companies, Mbada, Marange, Anjin Investment and Diamond Mining Corporation.
“I have to thank the ministers that were here and the various ministries for a job well done. We were here on a fact-finding mission and I am impressed with what I saw,” said Prime Minister Tsvangirai.
The tour was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Arthur Mutambara, Ministers Dr Obert Mpofu (Mines and Mining Development), Tendai Biti (Finance), Paurina Mpariwa (Labour and Social Services), Dr Joseph Made (Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development), Giles Mutsekwa (Housing and Social Amenities) and Tapiwa Mashakada (Economic Development and Investment Promotion).
Also present was the Governor of Manicaland, Chris Mushohwe.
During the tour Prime Minister Tsvangirai was taken through exercises such as security measures in place at the four companies, which are following to the letter conditions set up by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), production levels and type of mining operations.
The explanations by the four mining companies’ officials left some members of the delegation that had doubts about the mining activities and the so-called leakages satisfied.
“The system here is fool proof and it seems people have been misled. It was an eye opener for some of us,” said one of the officials who were accompanying the Prime Minister.
Also speaking to journalists after the tour, Dr Mpofu said every Zimbabwean was free to visit the Marange fields as long as normal procedures were followed.
Dr Mpofu said on Wednesday he received an application by some non-governmental organisations, who all along have been opposed to the mining activities at Chiadzwa.
“They are free to visit, but the problem is that when we were taking the certification through the KPCS they were opposed to that.
“However, they are welcome to come here as long as they go through the KPC system,” he said.
Dr Mpofu said the Government has received 1 000 applications from people who want to be involved in the diamond mining.
“However, the problem is that some of the applications are from co-operatives and small-scale miners. Although we do not want to shut out anybody, we as Government prefer to deal with big companies as we feel co-operatives will bring confusion in the diamond mining activities once again,” he said.
Dr Mpofu also took the opportunity to rubbish reports that more than 200 people were killed in Chiadzwa when the Government was in the process of bringing to an end illegal mining activities.
“Where are the graves of those people who were killed here?” he asked.
Today the Prime Minister will visit Arda Transau where villagers, who were removed to make way for the mining operations were relocated.