Most natural diamonds are formed in the Earth’s mantle – the layer between the Earth’s crust and the outer core. That “factory” is, in fact, Mother Earth itself. Around 900 people moved before money for those relocations ran out.The road that a small (or large, if you’re lucky) glittering stone makes from the “factory” to your favorite ring, necklace or bracelet is a fascinating one. It was expected that, ultimately, all of the area’s more than 4,000 people would be relocated to the farm to make way for mining activity. In 2010, the government began to forcibly relocate families to a 12,000-hectare (29,653-acre) farm known as ARDA Transau. “From that day, l have developed a headache problem,” Matambo says, adding that she hasn’t received any compensation for the incident. One soldier hit her in the head, she says, and she was knocked unconscious. They told Matambo that the planks proved that she’d been mining. The soldiers searched her home and found some steel planks. They were looking for piles of dirt – evidence that she had illegally mined for diamonds. Shandurai Matambo, 36, says soldiers came to her house in 2018. The army raids local shopping areas, asking everyone for identity documents to ensure that no one is trespassing. When livestock wander beyond a fence, farmers often cannot follow. “We do not have the freedom as similar to others who do not live in Marange,” he says. Outside investigations of corruption and court battles continue, with displaced residents feeling the brunt of the uncertainty.īut ultimately, Mudiwa says, once the mining companies arrived, everything changed. Meanwhile, promises to heal Zimbabwe’s spiraling economy with diamonds remain unfulfilled. Zimbabwe, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela were mentioned as countries that should be banned – but currently are not – from the international diamond trade, as regulated by the Kimberley Process, a certification scheme aimed to halt the trade in conflict diamonds. This comes alongside an international effort to extend the definition of “conflict diamond” to include diamonds from countries where the military is involved in their mining or trading. The government recently announced that Anjin Investments will resume mining in Chiadzwa in July, after a three-year hiatus and tense negotiations with the government, according to the Zimbabwe Independent. In 2012, the country’s Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development testified to parliament that a military company, Zimbabwe Defence Industries, held a 40 percent stake in Anjin Investments, according to a 2017 report from Global Witness. The government’s partial ownership of all the Chiadzwa-area diamond mining companies created an off-the-books revenue source for its military and intelligence agency. Little of that money made it to the country’s treasury, however, despite government ownership of at least half of every company licensed to mine the area and their current maneuvering to consolidate all companies under one roof as the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company. Informal diamond miners were pushed out of the area, and those who remained were forced into hard labor in the mines for little or no pay.Īt the same time, Zimbabwe’s diamond exports exploded, totaling more than $2.7 billion since 2010, the year that marked the beginning of a serious industry boom. An estimated 300 children were eventually forced to carry ore for 11 hours each day, according to eyewitness reports recorded by Human Rights Watch. Local people refer to the era as “mazuva ebvupfuwe,” which means “days of plenty” in Shona, the language spoken by a majority of Zimbabweans.īut that quickly gave way to a period now known for human rights abuses. The government announced at first that anyone could mine for diamonds. Thirteen years ago, diamonds were first found here in what was then the largest diamond discovery in recent memory anywhere in the world. They’re cautious: They never know when the military will show up and look for evidence that people are illegally mining diamonds. In shopping areas, locals gather to listen to the radio and socialize. Even those who live here must go to Mutare, a town about 40 miles away, to get it. The permit to get into this diamond mining area is free and valid for one month, but it’s not issued nearby. No vehicles get through the gate without a permit and the officer’s approval.īehind the gate, residents of three dozen villages struggle to forge ordinary lives as authorities strictly monitor their movements. An officer stops each vehicle and asks for identity documents from each passenger. CHIADZWA DIAMOND FIELDS, ZIMBABWE - Police and military officers man a boom gate, which marks the boundary of this diamond mining area.
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