‘Diamond miner must do more’

THE Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Mining Company has an obligation to improve the lives of communities around the Chiadzwa diamond fields by upgrading social infrastructure and services, a Cabinet minister has said.

At belated African Child Day commemorations here yesterday, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Chris Mushohwe said, “Like what is happening in other communities where natural resources are being mined, the people of Chiadzwa must benefit from the diamonds that are being mined here. What we must know is that once these diamonds are mined, they are gone forever.

“They don’t grow again like grass. What it means is that these diamonds which are being mined on our doorstep must leave a mark of development that we will show to future generations as testimony that we once had diamonds that changed our lives.’’

“We are happy that President Mugabe, after discovering that the country was getting a raw deal from the previous miners, decided that Government must mine the diamonds for the people. The Minister of Mines, Cde (Walter) Chidhakwa, assured us that the new diamond company is going to create a database of prospective job-seekers from each ward in this area whereby those who register their names will also state the type of qualifications they have for easy identification during recruitment and interviews.”

Dr Mushohwe assured villagers that Government was determined to carry out major mining operations in Chiadzwa as seen by recent purchases of equipment from Belarus.