Crisis as Anjin clandestinely sells diamonds

A report by the SABC on Monday said ZAR1000 million worth of stones had been sold but did not state how or to whom the sale had been made. Diamond activist and Centre for Research and Development Director, Farai Magawu, told The Zimbabwean that if the reports turned out to be true, that would create major problems for the KP.

“Not only does it create a fresh crisis but it also calls into question the credibility of the KP because it was formed to regulate the diamond industry,” Maguwu said. Comment could not be obtained from Anjin or the government, but the company has been agitating for several weeks that it wanted to sell one million carats of diamonds it had stockpiled.

The matter was complicated, however, when the British government called for an emergency meeting of the KP to reverse a decision by its current chair, Mathieu Yamba of DRC, to allow Zimbabwe to sell its gems. Apparently, Yamba acted under pressure from Harare and did not consult other members as required by KP rules.

“They’re now selling their diamonds through dealers. I wouldn’t call it illegal, but Zimbabwe, being a member, is in violation of KP. If they want to sell that way, they have to pull out of KP,” said Maguwu. President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly threatened to drag Zimbabwe out of KP, but has failed to do so because of pressure from regional producers South Africa, Angola, DRC and Botswana – who fear that their own diamond production may be affected by a blanket ban on African stones.

An Anjin employee told this paper that the army violence was continuing against civilians in the diamond mining areas.

The MDC has called for an audit of the diamond sector as the proceeds were not reaching the treasury, suggesting they were being pocketed by Zanu (PF).

The Anjin sales also come as a surprise because recently the ZMDC chair, Godwills Masimirembwa, told the media that the firm – secretly granted a licence – was only ‘exploring’ and not mining.