It was being built by mining companies Canadile and Core Mining and Mineral Resources (Pty) Ltd, but they were recently kicked out of Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange diamond fields following the arrest of several senior executives on allegations of fraudulently obtaining diamond concessions.
The multi-million dollar cutting and polishing centre was expected to be operational early next year. But sources close to the project said there was confusion at the Diamond Technology Centre after Core Mining director Lovemore Kurotwi, who is also the deputy chairman of Canadile, was arrested together with five Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation executives. Twelve other directors and shareholders of the company were recently blacklisted.
We are currently in the dark as to whether this project will go ahead because Kurotwi, who is the main person behind the project has been arrested, while his foreign co-directors have been blacklisted, said a Canadile official.
He revealed that the plot of land where the Zimbabwe Diamond Technology Centre is being constructed belonged to Kurotwi, but said it would be difficult to continue with the project with no funding or revenue from the sale of diamonds from Chiadzwa.
The official said the project was now in limbo after the state-owned ZMDC cancelled Core Mining’s diamond claims in the Chiadzwa area in Marange and pulled out of the joint-venture agreement. Mines Minister, Obert Mpofu, is reportedly against the diamond technology centre after questioning the ownership of the land where the project is taking place, as well as the shareholding of the company.
Contacted for comment on the future of the ZDTC, ZMDC chairman Godwills Marimirembwa, told The Zimbabwean that the parastatal and the government had no links with the diamond technology centre. The diamond technology centre is purely a private project which we have no control over. Its a noble idea which is aimed at processing and polishing diamonds and we will not stand on the way of the project. With our auction system anyone is free to buy diamonds for processing, he said.
Diamond college
Kurotwi, who was last week released by the courts on a technicality after the police and attorney-general failed to bring him to court on time, could not re reached for comment. The diamond technology centre was expected to transform rough diamonds into polished diamonds and once fully completed, the US$20 million facility would have among other things, banks, a diamond college and insurance firms.
ZMDC officials, who include suspended chief executive officer and general manager Dominic Mubayiwa, former chairman Gloria Mawarire, company secretary Tichaona Muhonde, technical committee member Mark Tsomondo, and chairman of the finance and investment committee Ashton Ndlovu, were recently arrested after they were accused of conniving with Kurotwi to secure mining concessions for Core Mining.
The five and Kurotwi were accused of fraudulently using the name of the Channel Islands-headquartered diversified natural resources company, BSG Resources Ltd, to obtain a contract on behalf of Core Mining. There were also allegations that the South African company smuggled diamonds worth over US$100 million dollars in order to sponsor their mining operations, prompting authorities to blacklist and declare as illegal immigrants, at least 12 foreign directors and shareholders of Canadile.
Post published in: News