Harare — THE Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation is expected to engage two more partners as it intensifies efforts to engage investors in the mining of diamonds in the Chiadzwa area as prescribed by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.

The country was given up to April to engage foreign investors by the KPCS during its recent meeting in Namibia.

A KPCS team is expected in the country to assess the level of compliance to the requirement and other requirements such as the withdrawal of security forces from the diamond mining area among other issues.

ZMDC chief executive Mr Dominic Mubaiwa said they were in negotiations with potential partners that they hope to team up with to further exploit its special grant within the Chiadzwa diamond area.

"We are at various stages of negotiations and once the due process is complete, we will approach Govern-ment for approval," said Mr Muba-yiwa without elaborating on the identity of the investors.

ZMDC is sitting on 4 720 hectares that have not been allotted in its special grant which forms the nucleus of the diamond fields.

The nucleus is where most of the illegal diamond activities that preceded proper mining activities took place.

There is another 2 000ha under the ZMDC special grant that is already being exploited by the parastatal and its two partners.

Sometime this year, ZMDC went into partnership with Grandwell of South Africa, which teamed up with ZMDC to form Gondurango Pvt Ltd which is trading as Mbada.

It also entered into a partnership with Core Mining and Minerals, also of South Africa, to form a joint venture company Canadile Miners.

The two companies -- Mbada and Canadile -- were both allocated 1 005 hectares each of the 2 010 hectares.

Mbada has already invested close to US$50 million in plant and machinery as well as security for its concession while it plans to invest another US$50 million if it gets a second conce- ssion.

Canadile on the other hand has spent US$15 million on plant and machinery out of about US$50 million that it has earmarked for its concession and it is planning to spend a further US$50 million on another concession.

Mr Mubayiwa said that the total reserve area for the diamond field was 77 000ha and their aim was to ensure that they investigate and find appropriate investors to exploit the reserves in accordance with the KPCS.