Chiadzwa to benefit more
STATE-OWNED diamond mining firm, the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), says it will continue expending from its Government availed capital resources to attend to critical community development needs.
The Marange/Chiadzwa community last week Monday staged a demonstration at the diamond rich fields demanding the mining firm to increase its community development activities in and around the mining area.
ZCDC has taken a deliberate policy to exit the international diamond market so as to address a cocktail of marketing shortcomings that had previously seen local gems fetching very low prices on the market compared to dems from other jurisdictions.
Despite recording increased growth on production of diamonds, which are being stockpiled, the State miner has continued to rely heavily on Government recapitalisation for operational and capital requirements.
President Mnangagwa, whose Government has placed economic revival on top of its to do list, has already stated that the mining sector will be expected to play a key role in its endeavour to grow the economy and the diamond sector had its work cut out.
In an interview with this publication, ZCDC chief executive officer Dr Moris Mpofu said his company fully appreciated the agitated community’s needs and will continue engagements and expending from its capital base to attend to community needs before disposing of its stockpiled produce.
“ZCDC has not started selling its diamonds, and has been working with MMCZ to create significant value from the country’s diamonds following legacy experiences of loss of diamond value,” said Dr Mpofu.
“The company has been and will continue expending from its capital resources to provide for the critical community development needs.
“In the past 11 months since capitalisation by Government, ZCDC has worked on schools and clinics rehabilitation of infrastructure, construction of 128 tombstones of graves displaced during the legacy period, rehabilitated the road network in Chiadzwa Community stretching hundreds of kilometres.
“We have also supported a number of underprivileged or disabled girl-children to attain education, created a womens’ group to establish a protective clothing manufacturing factory at ZCDC’s Community Development Centre in Chiadzwa — about 100 unemployed community women and youth have been trained in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and the Mutare Polytechnic,” he said.
The company has also drilled and repaired over 15 boreholes in Chiadzwa as well as constructed a bridge in Chiadzwa.
Dr Mpofu also commended the Marange/Chiadzwa community for being mature and calm in expressing their views also insisting that they are entitled to demand for community development after years of frustration from previous miners since 2006.
He said the company had already engaged one of the community leaders they previously had not worked with, Mr Farai Maguwu of CNRC, and the parties had agreed that dialogue is the best solution to dealing with community concerns on development.
He said community engagement was also very important as it assures the miner of a “social licence” which is an essential component of mining sustainability.
ZCDC recently signed an MOU with Marange Development Trust which is premised on enhancing collaboration between the miner and the community.
The ZCDC boss also revealed that plans are afoot to sign another pact with an all-inclusive community representative group in an effort to up seamless cooperation to spur Community Development.