The remaining 40 families in Chiadzwa diamond fields are demanding $50 000 as compensation before they are relocated to Arda Transau in Odzi area.
Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT) chairman Malvern Mudiwa said the families have agreed to resist their forced move before receiving full compensation.
CCDT is a trust that was set up to protect the interests of the people of Chiadzwa.
“We have been talking with the government and the companies that are mining diamonds that families want to get their full compensation before leaving the Chiadzwa area,” said Mudiwa.
Mudiwa said they were aware that some people might abuse the money they would have received as compensation so they have arranged that the money would be used to buy shares in companies that were mining the gems in Chiadzwa.
“Our aim as a trust is to negotiate with the companies mining there to let the villagers buy shares so that they also become part of the business.
“We have been negotiating to get claims but it looks like all the claims have been finished,” said Mudiwa.
Mudiwa said families would also want the sensitive issue of graves of their relatives to be addressed before they moved.
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“Where they are extracting diamonds, graves are not going to be spared so family members want this issue to be addressed before being relocated to ARDA Transau,” said Mudiwa.
“They want their relatives to be given a decent reburial.”
Centre for Research and Development director Farai Maguwu said the $50 000 per household demanded by the families was justified.
“It’s very much justified and it’s also in tandem with the UN habitat minimum standards for relocation. First there must be prior consent for the people to be moved, secondly, there must be adequate preparation in the relocation site before people are moved and thirdly there must be compensation because normal life is disrupted when people are being moved and cultural values are being violated,” said Maguwu.
“There is also infrastructure that has been developed by these families over the years and there is disruption to health, education, agriculture and many other basic necessities of life that they are being deprived of.
“It’s not by choice that they are moving from this area and this forced movement is because companies want to make money from Chiadzwa. There is nothing wrong with the families getting $50 000 as compared to the billions of dollars that the companies will be making.”
Already 20 families have been moved from Chiadzwa to Arda Transau and were given about $1 000 per household.
Five companies mining diamonds in Chiadzwa are Marange Resources formerly Canadile Miners, Mbada Diamonds, Anjin Zimbabwe, Sainol Zimbabwe and Pure Diamonds.
