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Herald Reporters
Zimbabwe is still compliant with the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) requirements for the marketing of its diamonds and is willing to have its compliance reviewed to maintain that status.
This was said by Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) acting general manager Mr Masimba Chandavengerwa when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy yesterday.
“It is common knowledge that as Zimbabwe we were not allowed to export or sell our diamonds through the KPCS and we went to the extent of having our production and marketing supervised by the KPCS and that is why we were able to export,” said Mr Chandavengerwa.
“From MMCZ standpoint, when we attend KPCS conferences and workshops – we have just come from one that was in Australia – we are no longer on the radar as it were, for the lack of a better word, in terms of the compliance of the KPCS family.
“We can safely say we know we are complying, but it was mentioned in Australia that Zimbabwe must invite the KPCS for a review and it is something that we are looking forward to,” Mr Chandavengerwa said.
He said the consolidation of companies operating in the Chiadzwa diamond fields was not an issue to KPCS as they were concerned with the movement of the precious stone from the mine to the market so that it does not fall into criminal hands.
Government consolidated the seven companies that were operating at Chiadzwa into the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company as part of measures to stem leakages and increase transparency.
Mr Chandavengerwa also said Zimbabwe had sold 51 06 million carats of diamonds worth over $2,4 billion from 2006 to 2017 from the Chiadzwa diamond fields.
Meanwhile, appearing before the same committee, an executive from DTZ-OZEO of Russia Mr Victor Kusiya welcomed the new administration of President Mnangagwa, saying Russian business people were ready to invest in the country.
“We anticipate that things are going to improve because we had lost hope to invest under the old administration. We have investors in Russia who are just waiting for the investment climate to warm up that they come and invest,” he said.
Mr Kusiya said they were yet to be compensated for the takeover of their operations by the ZCDC.
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