The 28 Chiadzwa (Marange) community members who were recently arrested for protesting against Anjin Investments were granted bail by a Mutare magistrate.
New Zimbabwe reports that they were accused of violence against Anjin employees and unlawful entry to the diamond miner’s premises to demand management feedback regarding their concerns.
The villagers were seen lifting placards demanding respect for land rights, cultural rights, compensation, and responsible mining by Anjin.
Anjin said last May that it was planning to produce 10 million carats in 2023 and 12 million carats in 2025.
However, impeccable sources privy to the goings-on at Anjin told Rough & Polished that the company was struggling to find diamonds at sites in Marange.
The rough diamond producer was said to have engaged traditional leaders to brew appeasement traditional beer to be imbibed at an opening ceremony of a new plant site.
The new plant site was allegedly located in the jurisdiction of headman Chiadzwa who was not invited to take part in the beer brewing process.
Irked by the snub, headman Chiadzwa was said to have gathered his people and approached the management of Anjin, which was represented by its human resources manager.
The parties appeared to have failed to reach an agreement, which saw headman Chiadzwa and his subjects confronting the Anjin security guards who were protecting the beer pots.
They allegedly spilt the beer onto the ground leading to their arrest.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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