Zimbabwe: 'Blood diamonds' go on sale

  1. Posted on Wednesday 11 August 2010 - 16:31
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    Ryekolal Raphie, AfricaNews reporter in Kampala, Uganda
    Zimbabwe on Wednesday opened the first sale of diamonds from its Marange fields since international regulators partially lifted a ban imposed after the military violently seized control of the mines. The diamond sale Wednesday will be audited by Ernst and Young.
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    About 900,000 carats valued at about $72 million were on sale, according to Abbey Chikane, the monitor from the international Kimberley Process which is charged with preventing trade in "blood diamonds".

    Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said in opening the sale "Indeed it is historic in that we have managed to satisfy the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process".

    Zimbabwe has now contracted operations at Marange to two little-known South African firms, Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Miners, although the region near the Mozambican border remains a high-security zone with a strong military presence.

    Chikane said the government's only role would be in presenting the stones to buyers."I have certified the goods and they are ready for export," he told AFP.

    Zimbabwe has struggled to convince donors to provide direct budget support to the government. The Marange diamonds could prove a windfall that would help rebuild a country shattered by a decade of political unrest and economic collapse.

    But finance minister Tendai Biti has highlighted the potential for abuse, telling parliament that none of the $30 million in Marange sales ever reached the Treasury before the ban last year.

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