Civic groups are calling for Zimbabwe to be axed from the international diamond trade, pending investigation of human rights abuses. (Photo Courtesy IRIN)

Harare — Zimbabwe has done everything possible to ensure full compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme principles, Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu has said.

Presenting a progress report on the country's KP compliance in Swakopmund, Namibia, yesterday, Minister Mpofu said the global diamond trade regulator had promised Zimbabwe technical support but nothing had materialised.

Despite this, he pointed out, Zimbabwe had gone ahead and beefed up its systems with the limited resources at the State's disposal.

"We strongly believe that as a country, we have done all in complying with the requirements of the process," he said.

"With limited resources available to us, we certainly have made considerable progress in achieving full compliance in the KP requirements.

"The situation on the ground in the Marange diamond field is rapidly changing with the implementation of our workplan," Minister Mpofu said.

He said Zimbabwe had made formal requests to South Africa and Namibia for capacity building assistance in order to achieve compliance with the Kimberley Process Certifi-cation Scheme at the Marange diamond fields.

"On 21 August 2009, (Government) made a formal request to South Africa and Namibia to assist in capacity building in order to achieve full compliance.

"South Africa responded on 9 October 2009 by seconding an expert to work with Zimbabwe."

He said the Government had engaged two investors to work in partnership with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation to exploit the Marange diamonds.

The minister's presentation came against the backdrop of a Western-led campaign to ban trade in Zimbabwe's diamonds.

The campaign has been marked by a glut of unsubstantiated claims of human rights abuses at the diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe.

Internet news reports yesterday said some members of the KP review mission who were recently in Zimbabwe had prepared a damning report they would table at the ongoing meeting.

However, Minister Mpofu yesterday moved to assure the industry that Zimbabwe was complying with KP stipulations and two partners had since been roped in to develop operations in Marange.

"The Government has engaged two investors to work in partnership with ZMDC in the exploitation of the Marange diamonds.

"The investors in Marange are currently preparing the area for mining and are constructing processing plants.

"Security has been erected around the plant and mining areas. Double fencing is being used with electric fence forming an integral part of the fencing system.

"Also in place are entry points and observer towers placed strategically around the perimeter fence, while security cameras will be placed along boundaries of the mine," he said.

Zimbabwe is a founding participant of the KP, a tripartite organisation comprising governments, the diamond industry and civil society to prevent trade in diamonds used to finance wars.

Earlier this year, Government constituted a Cabinet Committee of the Ministers of Mines and Mining Development, Finance, Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Defence, and Industry and Commerce to ensure Zimbabwe achieved full compliance with the certification process.

Diamond dealer and businessman Newman Chiadzwa, who has been posing as Chief Chiadzwa and is also in Namibia, yesterday put the record straight after misleading a KP fact- finding mission last year that there were State-sponsored human rights violations at the Marange diamond fields.

"It must be noted that 90 percent of these violations are done by people with their own agenda who come and instigate violence and disunity amongst our community to the extent of paying our community members to relay false information to various organisations.

"I have been exchanging e-mails with some of the highly respected organisations in the world regularly on behalf of the community.

"However, when you inform them that Government has since rectified security issues, they feel uneasy yet the community may suddenly be in joyous relief.

"I have witnessed efforts being done by private companies operating there to ensure no access by unauthorised persons into the diamond fields.

"I have tried to put the record straight with human rights organisations, but they were not interested in the truth this time around," he said.

Newman denied reports that his home had been vandalised by security forces.

He said improved security had halted cases of diamond smuggling.

Newman said the news of mass graves that had been circulating among NGOs and human rights lobbyists were false, adding that the interviewees had failed to understand the questions posed to them.

"If Zimbabwe is suspended from trading in diamonds, it will not help matters, but only propel illegal trade and members of the (World) Diamond Council are the biggest buyers of illegal diamonds.

"Those people who are saying Chiadzwa diamonds must be suspended are the same people who are buying illegally from the mining field and do not want these diamonds to be specified and fingerprinted," he said.

Newman, however, said the Chiadzwa community was still to receive official communication from Government on their planned relocation to Odzi to pave way for full mining operations.

He indicated that the community was not opposed to the relocation.

Over 200 delegates from 70 diamond-producing countries are attending the meeting.