By Staff Reporter
For decades, diamonds have been hailed as a symbol of wealth and development, a natural resource capable of transforming entire nations. Yet in Zimbabwe’s diamond fields, communities living closest to the mines continue to suffer deep injustices—displaced from their ancestral lands, denied fair compensation, and left to endure poverty and environmental harm while political and corporate elites reap the rewards.
When families were moved from Chiadzwa to ARDA Transau, promises of housing, jobs, and community development were made. But years later, those commitments remain unfulfilled. Instead, people find themselves uprooted from their cultural history and traditional livelihoods, struggling in unfamiliar lands where poverty is entrenched. The story of ARDA Transau has become a cautionary tale of what happens when mining proceeds without accountability.
The situation is made worse by the absence of meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Mining companies often pledge schools, clinics, and clean water, but most of these promises remain on paper. Meanwhile, communities pay the externalized costs of mining: contaminated rivers, degraded land, and collapsing social safety nets.
At a recent community dialogue, a documentary screening of Beyond Shining Illusions exposed the continued struggles of diamond-affected communities. It highlighted how diamonds, despite their economic importance, remain tied to human rights violations, illicit trade, lack of transparency, and environmental destruction.
Participants at the community dialogue session organised by CNRG
Investigating mining operations in Sierra Leone, Lesotho, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this documentary reveals the often-ignored consequences of large-scale diamond mining on local communities in African countries.
The claim that 99% of diamonds are now conflict-free masks persistent and systemic challenges on the ground. The documentary gives a voice to residents and artisanal miners directly affected by large-scale diamond mining operations. In their testimonies, they share ongoing struggles, highlighting cases of violence by security forces protecting mining operations, air and water pollution caused by blasting and tailings management practices, and an overall lack of socio-economic benefits.
Produced by the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, the documentary aims to shed light on issues that are today overlooked, to go behind the marketing lines, demand real change, and foster meaningful discussion on the ways the sector can fulfil its potential to do good for communities.
Across Africa, artisanal miners, who contribute significantly to the sector, still face criminalization instead of support. Formalization of their work remains a challenge, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and unsafe working conditions.
Fungai Nhaitai, a community member from Marange, said the experiences of people from Lesotho, Sierra Leon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) show that there are shared challenges in resource-rich communities.
“The first thing that one reflects on from the documentary is the stark face of poverty and the limited options of livelihoods for people across countries in Africa,” he said.
The absence of community beneficiation is perhaps the sharpest indictment of the current system. For most mining-affected families, diamonds have meant displacement, loss, and hardship rather than progress and prosperity. The diamond sector reflects a wider global pattern in which governments fail to protect citizens while enabling elite capture of resources.
The Kimberley Process (KP) was established to regulate the diamond trade and prevent conflict diamonds from entering international markets. But its narrow focus on “conflict-free” status has allowed abuses to continue unchecked.
Farai Maguwu, CNRG director, said that despite its challenges, the KP process provides a platform, widely accepted by diamond-producing nations, to engage progressively with governments.
“The KP has failed to address issues such as child labor, workers’ exploitation, community displacement, and environmental damage. As a result, it has lost some credibility among mining-affected communities who continue to live with the consequences of weak oversight.
“However, despite these challenges, it is still the platform that is accepted by governments under the banner of the UN, and already discussions are ongoing on the involvement of community representatives,” said Maguwu.
There is growing demand for a Model Diamond Governance Framework (MDGF), one that goes beyond conflict diamonds and prioritizes transparency, human rights, and community development. Such a framework would place communities at the heart of diamond governance, ensuring they benefit directly from the resources extracted from their lands.
The Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KP CSC) is at the forefront of this advocacy, amplifying community voices and demanding accountability from both governments and corporations. The coalition insists that responsible mining practices must deliver tangible benefits to surrounding communities, promote sustainable livelihoods, and respect human rights.
Until such changes are made, the paradox of Zimbabwe’s diamonds will persist: immense wealth beneath the soil, but entrenched poverty above it. For communities living in the shadow of the mines, justice will only come when governance frameworks shift from protecting profits to protecting people.
The Kimberly Process (KP), tasked with ensuring transparency and oversight in the diamond supply chain to eliminate trade in conflict diamonds, only focuses on mining and distribution of conflict diamonds and, as such, has failed to address other serious issues such as human rights violations, workers’ exploitation, child labor, environmental harm, etc. It is essential, therefore, to develop a model diamond governance framework (MDGF) that enhances transparency, protects community rights, and maximizes economic benefits.
The KP CSC plays a crucial role in advocating for community rights, amplifying the voices of affected communities, monitoring, and ensuring accountability from government and companies operating around diamond mines.
Further advocacy should be around ensuring fair benefits for communities living around diamond mines by promoting responsible mining practices that contribute to sustainable development, improved livelihoods, and social equity for mining communities.