Tension is in the offing between Zimbabwe’s governing parties over the newly found diamonds in Chimanimani.
The Standard Newspaper cited unnamed experts as saying that the Chimanimani diamond deposit occurred in the same geological structure as those of the Marange diamond fields.
DTZ-OZGEO, a joint venture between a Russian company OZGEO and the Development Trust of Zimbabwe were expected to go into full diamond mining in the area by end of the year.
The company had mined over 7 000 carats since the beginning of trial mining in 2010.
The Russian government, which has already expressed interest in Zimbabwe's mining and energy sectors, is finalising a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with the Zimbabwean government.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC deputy secretary for mines Pearson Mungofa said the problem with the Chimanimani diamond find was that the government had been ignoring proper procedures to safeguard the discoveries for the benefit of the nation.
"There is need to change the mode of control if anything is to be realised from these discoveries," he said.
Mungofa said the Chimanimani diamonds would be parcelled out to "favourites", saying current operations at the mine were not sustainable.
Mines and Mining Development minister, Obert Mpofu, however dismissed Mungofa's concerns, saying he was seeking “relevance".
"Presently, there is an on-going initiative by government to establish the extent of deposits in the area. When this is established, the focus will then be on encouraging indigenous players to enter for purposes of exploration and investment," he said. Mpofu said the DTZ-OZGEO joint venture had been present in the fields for a long time, with government's knowledge and the company was also involved in gold exploration activities.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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