New Diamond Concessions Granted in Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe has granted a large concession of 1.8 million hectares in size to the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, or ZMDC, the Zimbabwean reported cited by Israelidiamond.co.il. The territory, which extends from the Marange, through Chimanimani and Checheche all the way to the Mozambique border, is believed to contain a large amount of gold and diamonds, ZMDC chair Goodwills Masimirembwa said.
The granting of the concession to ZMDC upset at least one political analyst quoted by the Zimbabwean, named Clifford Mashiri. Mashiri claims that the ZMDC is not a junior diamond company at all, but a type of front group that is used by the ruling ZANU-PF party to secure the involvement of foreign diamond mining companies.
The participation of a company such as ZMDC, at least on paper, is necessary in Zimbabwe as the country's law require that all mining operations are at least partially owned by local firms. Mashiri claims that ZMDC has abandoned its involvement in at least two of the three mining operations that it is supposed to be an integral part of, according to the Zimbabwean.