Harare — A new diamond rush has hit Chipinge, Chimanimani and unsecured parts of Chiadzwa with illegal panners and foreign dealers once again descending on Manicaland Province.
Most of the diamonds are also believed to be finding their way to Mozambique's Manica Province where a ready market is reportedly available.
Buyers from Harare have invaded the area though Lebanese citizens are said to be the biggest wheelers and dealers in the area.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Inspector Brian Makomeke yesterday said they had received a report of illegal diamond mining and investigations were underway.
Police officers, who are among those deployed to Chipinge, Chimanamani and the unsecured parts of the Chiadzwa diamond fields said hundreds of panners had besieged the areas in question.
They said there was an area about 2km from the Chiadzwa diamond fields where the panners were carrying out illegal mining.
The panners have built temporary settlements and police sources said a full-scale blitz on them would soon be launched.
Two companies have been given the green light to exploit part of the Chiadzwa reserves and they have secured their claims with the latest hi-tech surveillance and security equipment.
In Chipinge, panners have been digging for diamonds in the Chasiyamwa region.
Most of the diamonds there are reported to be of industrial quality, meaning they are not as lucrative as those used in jewellery.
The Herald understands that panning in this area has been going on for weeks now.
There are about 60 diamond claims in Chikwizi Mountain, Muusha communal lands under Chief Willie Muusha in Chimanimani, where diamond panners have established bases.
In an interview on Tuesday, Chief Muusha said the claims in the mountain had been exploited by illegal panners after a South African-based company that had been issued with the mining rights did not return to begin operations.
He said police had been carrying out periodic raids at the sites following reports of violence among the panners.
"The area has become a battlefield and there are reports everyday of miners fighting each other over control of mining claims.
"We hear that some people have even killed each other there," said Chief Muusha.
He said some of the illegal miners were equipped with modern mining equipment.
"It is surprising that some of these panners have this equipment and we now suspect that they are being sponsored by powerful people.
"More people are getting to know about these diamonds as some even come from distant places, causing a rise in the clashes at the site and more deaths," he said.
Chief Muusha expressed concern over the increase in crime in his area, saying armed criminals were on the prowl, and there was need for the authorities to move in quickly.
"They use the guns against each other at the diamond fields or on dealers and panners."
Recently, a suspected panner, Kudakwashe Jiri, was shot in the backside and had his hand broken during a fight over a claim.
The matter was reported to the police.
Secretary for Mines and Mining Development Mr Thankful Musukutwa had not responded to questions sent to his office at the time of writing.
A diamond rush in Chiadzwa in 2006 led to a spike in criminal activities in the Eastern Highlands district of Marange as well as widespread environmental degradation.
State security agents subsequently moved in to secure the area leading to legitimate mining operations being established last year.
At the peak of looting in Chiadzwa, Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono said Zimbabwe was losing millions of dollars monthly to mineral leakages.
