A sale of the country's previously banned diamonds is set to go ahead on Wednesday, despite warnings that buying the gems will be complicit with theft.
The sales are the result of a deal reached between the Mines Ministry and the international trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process last month, which will allow Zimbabwe to sell two batches of diamonds from the Chiadzwa diamond fields, between now and September. Experts are then set to visit the country and review its progress with meeting international trade standards, potentially paving the way for a full resumption of exports.
Diamond sales had been suspended last year because of human rights atrocities at the military controlled diamond fields, including murder and forced labour. But the Kimberley Process, instead of banning Zimbabwe from trade, gave the Mines Ministry six months to clean up its act and fall in line with international standards.
A monitor, approved by the diamond watchdog group, was then sent to evaluate this progress earlier this year. That monitor, Abbey Chikane, recommended diamond sales resume, despite reports of ongoing abuses and rampant smuggling still coming out of Chiadzwa.
The government owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has a multi million dollar stockpile for sale, which will now go on auction on Wednesday. The sale will be launched by Robert Mugabe and according to Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, international buyers have already shown their interest in buying the stones.
The diamonds were mined by the ZMDC's partner firms, Mbada Mining and Canadile Mining, who were licensed to mine the Chiadzwa site after it was seized in 2006 from the UK based African Consolidated Resources (ACR).
ACR has been embroiled in a legal battle ever since over ownership of the site, and even the Supreme Court this year ordered all mining operations be suspended until the issue was finalised. T
he group's CEO has since warned that international buyers will be buying stolen goods if they buy the diamonds mined by Mbada and Canadile. Andrew Cranswick told SW Radio Africa on Monday that all mining activities at the site since September last year have been done in contravention of High Court and Supreme Court orders, and are criminal and punishable.
"Any activity on the site since September 2009, apart from securing and guarding, is in contempt of court and criminal," Cranswick explained.
Cranswick explained that he is not against the sale of the diamonds, if the profits will genuinely benefit Zimbabweans. But he warned that this was unlikely to happen. He explained that his firm had spoken to government officials and stated they wouldn't stand in the way of the sales, if the process does not involve Mbada or Canadile.
There is widespread concern about who the diamond proceeds will benefit, as the profits of $30 million worth of diamonds, sold by the ZMDC during the last year, have reportedly vanished. Finance Minister Tendai Biti admitted that the Treasury has not benefited at all from diamond sales, and the Minister has since proposed a possible Diamond Act, to help curb corruption.
