teads, solar panels perched on roofs. Middle-class suburbia has come to Marange!
This is where the discovery of diamonds last year has transformed an entire community.
Tobias Marasira of Zengeni village says illegal diamond sales have enabled him to build a new brick house, a vehicle, furnish the house and fence the homestead.
“Truly speaking our lives have improved since we got diamonds in the area. Most of us were looked down upon in the past but now we are a people who are looked up to,” says the father of six, carefully washing his beige Toyota Camry.
His 67-year-old widowed neighbour, Edina Zengeni, says she is grateful God has blessed the people of their area.
Sitting in her newly-constructed kitchen the grandmother to eight HIV-orphaned children says life has changed because of the “Ngoda”, (a common word used to refer to industrial diamonds).
“I am in a position to send my grandchildren to school without any worries. When my son and his wife died two years ago I was at a loss. Now my grandchildren are all in school. They also played a part in panning for the diamonds in the initial days,” she says with a smile.
She says an industrial diamond fetches as much as Z$400 000, while a clear diamond can fetch up to Z$40m.
Local businessman Rugare Mutsago says people from all over the country flooded the area during the peak of the diamond rush.
“Having sold their stones, these gwejas would buy anything, no matter the price,” he said.
Lyna Mudehwe, a local teacher, said the standard of living had vastly improved for the local people. But she added that the diamond boom had also had a bad effect on the locality.
“Some teachers and pupils absconded from school lessons to “mine” diamonds. Some children never returned to school and many teachers resigned,” she said.
In her class at least seven out of 36 pupils dropped while many more had abandoned their education at the secondary school.
“They say why continue with education while there are no jobs, when they can make money by diamond dealing,” she said.
With the flood of goods into the area, local buses are doing good business as transporters building materials and groceries.
“The route is a cash cow for us. As long as we have the diesel we make several trips to Marange. The people travel and buy things so much,” said bus-driver Edmore Mutisi, whose company earns an average of Z$30m on a good day.
Neighbouring districts have also benefited with instant millionaires being found in
Buhera South and North, Chimanimani, Mutare South and Mutare central.
The government has now taken over the diamond claim in Marange and calm is slowly returning to the area, though diamonds are still being smuggled out, allegedly through syndicates involving senior officials.
Post published in: News