ZIMBABWE faces a ban from the world's diamond trade at the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPSC) plenary meeting that opens tomorrow in Namibia where a damning report by a review mission will be tabled. The final report by the review mission led by Liberian Deputy Planning and Development Minister, Kpandel Fayia that visited Chiadzwa, Murowa and River Ranch mines in Zimbabwe last July recommends a six-month ban.
The review mission says Zimbabwe had failed to comply with recommendations it made at the end of the fact-finding mission that included an immediate demilitarisation of the notorious Chiadzwa diamond fields.
"In light of Zimbabwe's non-compliance with the minimum requirements, the Participation Committee should consider the full range of options set forth in the Interim Measures Guidelines, including suspension of Zimbabwe for a period of at least six months, or until such time as a KP team determines that minimum requirements have been met," the report said.
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The ban if effected, will hit hard two other diamond miners in the country: Murowa and River Ranch.
The report spells out cases of alleged human rights abuses. It said the review team had interviewed more than 20 victims in Mutare and Chiadzwa who reported that while under the custody of the security forces, they were raped repeatedly by military officers. They also said that they were forced to engage in sex with illegal diamond miners.
"One victim told the Team that she tested HIV-positive after she had been forced to have sex with two men and then raped by a military officer," the report said.
The team also heard accounts of beatings of men and women by the security forces, and saw wounds and scars from dog-bites and batons.
"A substantial number of the victims and witnesses interviewed by the team reported rampant use of violent dogs by the Zimbabwean security forces. The team found that the medical clinic in Chiadzwa village treated many of the victims of the violence in Marange," it said adding that some of the victims had been denied access to medical facilities in Mutare by the government.
The report says Zimbabwe must acknowledge its non-compliance with KP minimum standards and can opt for voluntary self-suspension from rough diamond trading until KP determines that minimum standards have been met.
"The team notes that the Government of Zimbabwe has positively addressed the first part of this recommendation in its July 14 response but did not discuss voluntary self-suspension," it said.
But the United States based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday said human rights violations in Chiadzwa had worsened and urged the plenary meeting to take tough action against Zimbabwe.
"The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, scheduled to meet in Swakopmund, Namibia, from November 2 to 5, 2009, should immediately suspend Zimbabwe for continuing human rights abuses and widespread smuggling in the Marange diamond fields," HRW said in a statement.
HRW said the government had not complied with any of the recommendations put forward in July by a review mission of KPCS.
In July, KPCS said Zimbabwe should remove soldiers from the Marange diamond fields but HRW said the southern African nation had not adhered to the recommendations.
"Human Rights Watch researchers carried out follow-up investigations from October 12 to 23, establishing that elements of the Zimbabwean Defence Forces have consolidated their presence in the diamond fields and that they are abusing members of the local community and engaging in widespread diamond smuggling," the watchdog said.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu told Standardbusiness on Friday the issues raised by Human Rights Watch will be dealt with at the meeting.
"We are going to the meeting in Namibia and we will deal with those issues there," Mpofu said.
In 2008, Zimbabwe declared exports of 327 833 carats to the European Community (67%) and to the United Arab Emirates (33%) raking in US$26 693 385.
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