Minister Chidhakwa announced that Zimbabwe’s Consolidation Diamond Company has already started mining operations in Marange without adopting best practices. This raised questions on whether government moved to halt diamond mining operations and whether this had anything to do with reforming the diamond industry. The CRD was of the view that government was going to expedite the diamond law making process first in order to come out with a diamond act to regularize the industry and operationalize the Zimbabwe Mining Revenue Transparency Initiative (ZMRTI) to promote accountability and transparency in the diamond value chain. The possibility that government has maintained the same fraudulent practices in ZCDC cannot be overuled now that due process has not been undertaken. More than two weeks have passed after the seizures and uncertainty haunts the diamond industry as government battles with diamond companies over control of Chiadzwa diamonds. It remains to be seen if government will comply with “unfavourable” court verdicts on Marange needless to say that government has already declared that it is not going back on diamond mergers. Meanwhile, with no resolve in sight, illegal panners have invaded Marange diamond fields.
