COMMUNITIES in the Marange diamond mining area have called on the newly-established Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) to halt operations, alleging it was worse than the previous mining firms.
BY CLAYTON MASEKESA
The government early this year stopped operations of nine diamond companies following their failure to renew operating licences. This came amid reports they had failed to account for the gems they had extracted from the rich Marange diamond fields.
During an emotional Marange community-led annual general meeting — initiated by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association — in Mutare on Thursday, the communities implored the government to disband ZCDC over its glaring failure to extract diamonds transparently and uphold human rights.
Malvin Mudiwa, from Marange Community Development Trust, said human rights violations by members of the military and police, as well as the company’s security personnel, had worsened.
He said pollution of local water sources was also on the increase and some villagers was being exposed to serious health hazards.
“There is dust everywhere. Houses are covered in dust and the heavy machines are actually operating at the doorsteps of the households. The previous companies that were mining the diamonds here were better,” Mudiwa said.
“The water has become undrinkable. I don’t know how we will survive. We do not know where we will get clean water to drink from. We are actually drinking mud.”
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He said villagers had thought that the coming-in of ZCDC would bring relief to the communities, but this had worsened things.
“We have seen many people losing jobs. But the new company has failed to consider local people for employment. We have noted that the company is hiring new employees from outside the community and worse still, from other areas out of Manicaland. They have ignored those that have lost employment as a result of the amalgamation of the mining companies,” Mudiwa claimed.
“We now call on the government to halt the operations of ZCDC because it has done nothing for the betterment of our lives in Chiadzwa.”
Causemore Musaamba, from Arda Transau Development Trust, said some villagers, who were relocated to make way for the diamond mines, had been dumped and were now wallowing in poverty and hunger.
“We have not even heard a word from ZCDC considering our fate. We do not even know what ZCDC is. We only read in the newspapers that they are the ones that are now doing the mining operations. We have not heard from them since they took over eight months ago,” he said.
Musaamba said many people at Arda Transau were now surviving by selling firewood illegally to customers.
“With the closure of mining companies at the Marange diamond fields, we are no longer hoping to get any assistance from ZCDC. Some of the companies like Mbada Diamonds used to give us food rations, but now with this new company I don’t think we are going to be any better,” he said.
Centre for Natural Resource Governance director, Farai Maguwu (pictured), said government was taking the nation for a ride.
“ZCDC is just a group of looters led by officials in the Mines ministry. It is a group of corrupt officials, who have worsened mining operations in Marange. Proper investigations must be done. ZCDC was set up so that some individuals continue looting the resources,” he said.
Maguwu urged the communities in Marange and other civil society organisations not to relax, but to stand up for their cause.
“If it is to die, then the people must die because of the Marange diamonds. If it is a march, march all the way to those responsible and demonstrate our anger, then we will do that,” he said.
Centre for Research and Development director James Mupfumi said ZCDC was another example of a company that had exposed government’s failure to run public enterprises because of corruption and cronyism.
“Until there is political will to transform these institutions of governance that have been personalised, Zimbabweans will continue to live in abject poverty while their resources are being plundered by a chosen few,” he said.
The communities say the poor performance by ZCDC has infuriated them and have called for sanity to prevail in the sector.
