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Zimbabwe faces diamond trade ban |
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Written by Staff Reporters
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The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) received a complaint regarding breach of international rules and regulations last month, which could result into a diamond trade ban for Zimbabwe.
World Diamond Council’s (WDC) complaint to KPCS Chairman Karel Kovanda is mounting pressure for imposition of diamond ban on the country.
The probe will focus on gems from a mine in the southern town of Beitbridge whose ownership is in dispute, and diamonds from Marange in eastern Zimbabwe, where massive illegal mining and smuggling has been unveiled.
River Ranch Limited and Bubye Minerals have entered into a conflict regarding Special Grant 1278 which provides right to mine diamonds. Parties not having authority are prevented from mining in any area by Mines and Minerals Act.
As per the complaint, rough diamonds are smuggled illegally into South Africa from the country’s River Ranch mine and also Marange, and mixed with conflict diamonds from the DRC for exporting under Kimberley validation.
Complaint further states that shipments of rough diamonds were devoid of Kimberley certificate. River Ranch Limited is not legally acquiring the necessary certificates.
WDC Chairman Eli Izhakoff said in a statement that “such illegal exportation presents a clear threat to the integrity of the legitimate export process as a whole” and urged nations who are signatory to the accord “to act swiftly and in unison, to resolve this situation and protect the legitimate and law abiding industry.”
In late November, the Zimbabwean government faced accusations of using security forces to seize the Marange industrial diamond mine in violation of a high court order supporting the claim of British-based African Consolidated Resources to rightful ownership of the mine.
The Beitbridge’s Bubye mine is currently a centre of an ownership wrangle in which a group led by retired army general Solomon Mujuru, husband of vice president Joyce Mujuru, has seized the mine and renamed it River Ranch Mine.
The group is accused of exporting the gems in violation of court orders and without proper certification.
The European Commission has requested that Zimbabwe updates it on the allegations and has urged the WDC to share information on abuses in Zimbabwe and the impact of such abuses on neighbouring countries.
The government claims that it has built a tight security cordon around Marange and has arrested over 20000 illegal miners in a bid to halt the illegal trade in diamonds.
Zimbabwe’s diamond production figures are only available from ZSE-quoted Murowa Diamonds, which is 78 percent owned by mining group Rio Tinto Plc and 22 percent by RioZim.
In the nine months to September last year, Murowa Diamonds produced 189,658 carats.
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