Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Takunda Maodza
2 July 2009
Harare — THE Kimberley Process Review Mission to Zimbabwe delegation, led by Liberian Deputy Minister of Planning and Development Mr Kpandel Fayia, yesterday visited the Chiadzwa diamond fields to apprise itself on mining activities in the area.
The high-powered delegation had an opportunity to inspect the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation's diamond plant at the fields.
It held separate interviews with ZMDC business development manager Mr Alexander Mukwekwezeke, mine manager Mr Make Jaravani, the police, army, a private security company manning the premises and ZMDC employees to get first-hand information on operations at the fields.
The delegation also interviewed acting chief Chiadzwa, Patrick Chiadzwa.
Speaking after the tour, Mr Fayia thanked authorities for affording the team an uninterrupted opportunity to carry out its duties.
"I would like to thank you for receiving us. We were given the co-operation promised. You have been very open.
"There were apprehensions that you were not going to allow us to enter the mine or to talk with people. We will do our report and it will reflect the ingredients we got here," he said.
Information at hand showed that the delegation broke into two teams when it reached the diamond fields.
The other team went about the villages adjacent to the fields interviewing villagers and looking for the alleged "mass graves".
The international media has been awash with fictitious reports that several people were killed and buried in mass graves by security forces during an operation to rid the area of illegal diamond panners.
The Government has dismissed the reports as unfounded and fallacious.
There has been a campaign to undermine the inclusive Government by fabricating falsehoods to justify the continued imposition of sanctions and to derail efforts to turn around the economy.
Only recently, the US-based Human Rights Watch released a damning report titled, "Diamonds in the Rough: Human Rights Abuses in the Marange Diamond Fields of Zimbabwe".
It claimed that militias under Zanu-PF's control violently seized control of the Marange diamond fields last year, killing miners.
It further claimed that military-controlled syndicates were now running the show using forced labour and smuggling diamonds out of the country with the aid of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to finance Zanu-PF and military activities.
Contrary to reports, there was no sign of soldiers or Zanu-PF militias at the diamond fields yesterday.
ZMDC employees working at the mine were recruited from surrounding villages while police and the army's duties are limited to patrols outside the fields.
The delegation is also expected to visit Murowa diamond fields in Zvishavane and River Ranch Mine in Beitbridge.
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We applaud the Kimberley Team visiting the Chiadzwa Diamond Fields. The concern we have is that the powers that be were alerted to this visit and preparations were made in advance for all to appear in good stead. The Kimberley Team has no mandate to protect the people in any way, thus, as soon as the visit is over, the resumation of mining activities as reported before the visit will continue. Zimbabwe has been without the Rule of Law for decades. It will take much more than a visit from the Kimberley Team to reverse the status quo.