BY KENNETH NYANGANI
CHIADZWA villagers have queried government’s continued deployment of soldiers to the diamond-rich area, claiming that security forces have lost the war to illegal diamond miners and buyers who have flooded the community.
Bocha Diamonds Community Trust chairperson Moses Mukwada made the remarks on Saturday at a Manicaland mining indaba to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the extractives sector.
The meeting was organised by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development.
“We see no reason why the government is continuing to bring armed security forces, including soldiers, to Marange as we are continuing to see continual coming of illegal diamond miners, why bring them?” he said
“The numbers of illegal diamond dealers are increasing each passing day. Chiadzwa is a small community and has many security forces, illegal diamond panners and buyers and the Chiadzwa community in one place.
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“All these people I have mentioned staying in one place, this is not possible. We are now living in fear of the COVID-19, because we have many people who are coming into our community.”
Manicaland provincial development co-ordinator Edgar Seenza said he had not been briefed on the matter.
“I will need to find. I will find out from our security leaders,” he said.