adminCletus Mushanawani News Editor
CHIADZWA diamond mining is back on the spotlight following Government’s recent bold decision to cancel four companies’ operating licences. The affected companies among them Mbada Diamonds and Anjin have since mounted legal challenges against Government’s decision to boot them out.
The situation at Chiadzwa resembled the Biblical Lazarus story where a few wined and dined from the diamond proceeds, while the majority, the Lazarus of this world wallow in abject poverty.
Just like in other parts of the world, the Chiadzwa diamond mining used practices that exploited the workers and communities and President Mugabe in his belated 92nd birthday interview rightly pointed out the shenanigans at the vast fields.
He said: “We have not received much from the diamond industry at all. Not much by way of earnings. I don’t think we have exceeded $2 billion or so and yet we think that well over 15 or more billion dollars have been earned in that area.
“So where have our gold or carats have been going – the gems and there has been quite a lot of secrecy in handling them and we have been blinded ourselves.
“That is our people who we expected to be our eyes and ears have not been able to see or hear what was going on and lots of swindling, smuggling have taken place and companies that have been mining virtually I want to say robbed us of our wealth and that is why we have decided that this area should be a monopoly area and only the State should be able to do the mining in that area.
“You cannot trust a private company in that area, none at all and we should have learnt from the experiences of countries like Botswana, Angola, Namibia etc. We might go partner with a leading diamond company one which is already well established fine, we may be able to do that but then on good terms.”
Exploitation of locals in diamond mining companies is not akin to Zimbabwe alone, as a million diamond diggers in Africa earn less than a dollar a day.
Although Zimbabwe has some of the richest diamond fields in the world, only a trickle of diamond revenue was available for economic development.
Villagers who were displaced from Chiadzwa to make way for diamond mining have not realised significant benefits from their God-given resources, save for the houses, some of them sub-standard that were constructed for them at Arda Transau in Odzi.
For children trapped at the diamond mines, life is full of hardship. At first, children at Chiadzwa were promised heaven on earth by the mining companies. However, the companies went on a path of deceit as they were quick to renege on their promises of a better life. The schools in the mining concessions remained in their sorry state, with some of them being a danger to the young lives because of the cracks on their walls.
Dreams of a better tomorrow fast disappeared like morning dew and the children had to content with fumes of dust as a daily dosage. Their everyday ordeal of trudging the hot soils of Chiadzwa on barefoot continued, but everyday they would criss-cross with truckloads of ores taking ‘their diamonds’ to processing plants.
The roads remained in their gravel state and being bumpy, yet billions were being siphoned out day and night.
While the young children had to endure the nightmare of being deprived the basic right of a conducive learning environment, their parents were worse off. Some of the companies opted to employ foreigners from afar field like Matabeleland, giving flimsy excuses that locals were too familiar with the precious gems and would loot.
The lucky ones were grossly underpaid as they were viewed as cheap labour.
Besides being grossly underpaid, many diamond miners work in extremely dangerous conditions.
This resulted in some of them opting to supplement their meagre earnings through panning and this was often conducted without training or expertise.
The panners lacked safety equipment and the proper tools, something that resulted in the tragedy loss of three lives last Tuesday night.
At Chiadzwa, diamond mining also contributed to public health problems.
The sex trade thrived at business centres like Hotsprings and Nyanyadzi, leading to the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Recently, a Chimanimani man was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for bashing his girlfriend. Her crime was deliberately infecting him HIV at Hotsprings.
Victor Musonza (35) of Chibuwe Village under Chief Mutambara in Chimanimani pleaded guilty to the assault with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm charges when he appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mr Noah Gwatidzo recently.
Musonza had a misunderstanding with Netsai Kudana whom he accused of infecting him with HIV. Musonza struck Kudana with an empty beer bottle on the nose once and on the left eye. As a result, the complainant sustained a deep cut on the forehead extending to the left eye and nose.
Asked by the magistrate why he resorted to violence, Musonza said: “Your Worship, I was angry by what my ex-girlfriend did to me, which was heinous. She never told me that that she was an HIV patient. We even had unprotected sex and I was left with no option, but to revenge by assaulting her because my status is irreversible. My health is deteriorating fast. I am sorry Your Worship for taking the law into my hands.”
With the social challenges that had been brought about diamond mining by the companies that looted the resources, their kicking out is good riddance to the locals.
Mutare West Member of National Assembly as well as Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Dr Chris Mushohwe did not mince his words during a recent ministerial visit of the diamond fields.
“The companies took President Mugabe and the nation for a ride by pledging that they would support the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust, but nothing materialised. Schools, clinics and roads are still in their sorry state despite numerous reminders to the company to fulfil their pledges.
“They are themselves to blame because where in the world do you find companies operating without licences? The companies did not respect our traditional rites as some of them violated our ancestors’ graves, with some of the remains being swept away by water in Odzi River. We hail this decision as it was long overdue,” said Dr Mushohwe.
Headman Chiadzwa also chipped in and said: “We were eagerly waiting for this development because the kicked out companies were a big letdown. They never delivered on any promise they would have made. They left us even poorer than we were before. To us, we can safely say this is the dawn of a new era and it is more like being born again. We had suffered a lot at the hands of these companies.”
However, the Chiadzwa community’s sad story will continue unless law enforcement agents beefed up security in the area as panners are still having a field day in the diamond fields.
Last Thursday, some panners could be seen roaming the diamond fields in broad daylight with their tools, crowbars and sacks. On security, Headman Chiadzwa said: “We will play our part to ensure that law and order is maintained here, but the police should not accept bribes because we have reports of them being paid as little as $10 to allow panners to sneak and pan in the diamond fields.”
Explaining the legal shortcomings that will affect the Chiadzwa people and Zimbabweans at large from fully benefitting from their mineral resources, the director of Centre for Research and Development, Mr James Mupfumi, said: “The Mines and Minerals Act is exclusionary and supersede any other law including the Communal Lands Act whenever minerals are discovered. The Act has no provision for community rights in mineral exploitation, leaving communities impoverished and vulnerable to forced displacements as what we have seen in Marange.
“Efforts by Government to amend the Act by drafting an amendment Bill in 2007 have not materialised and communities in mining areas continue to live in isolation and abject poverty. The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act (Chapter 14:33) provide for at least 51 percent of shares of business operating in Zimbabwe to be owned by locals. Some individuals used the indigenisation act to grab shares in Marange diamond companies at the expense of Government .
“The net effect has been that Government got only less than $700 million in revenue and a suspected $15 billion dollars disappeared at the hands of individuals and their foreign accomplices over the past eight years of mining diamonds at Chiadzwa.”
He added: “The Indigenisation Act also provide that 10 percent of the equity in the 51 percent quota go directly to communities in areas where foreign companies are extracting natural resources and the funds to be held for the community through Community Share Ownership Trusts.
“However, this phrase ‘10 percent maybe disposed off’ to local communities through CSOTs means that there is no legal requirement for mining companies to dispose shares to these CSOTs.
“Thus, Zimunya Marange Community Trust only got $400 000 out of the pledged $50 million. It is the State’s constitutional obligation to ensure adequate oversight over business and community rights.”
Online Reporter