Yesterday, the 22nd of May 2023, the Kimberley Process annual Intersessional meeting roared to life in Victoria Falls. Zimbabwe is the 2023 KP Chair and is therefore privileged to host the intersessional and plenary later in the year. Delegates from all over the world representing governments, business and civil society are gathered at this event which also marks the KP’s 20th anniversary. The UN-backed global diamond watchdog was established in 2003. CNRG is a member of the KP Civil Society Coalition and is participating in the ongoing meeting in Victoria Falls. The statement by the KP Civil Society Coalition can be found here.
Despite being a founding member of the KP, the implementation of the Kimberley Process in Zimbabwe has been challenging, and in 2009 Zimbabwe was suspended from selling its diamonds on account of human rights violations in Marange. The suspension was lifted in 2011. Some issues have improved but a lot needs to be done.
Currently, Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in the KP that has established a working tripartite structure where government, business and civil society regularly meet to exchange ideas and share notes on developments in the sector. This tripartite structure began as Diamond Security Indaba in 2018 following protests in Marange that were organized by CNRG and the Marange community leadership. Since the start of the security indabas, reports of serious human rights abuses in Marange have been declining and yet the battle for human rights in Marange is not yet over. CNRG therefore calls on the government to regularly carry out human rights audits in Marange and perpetrators of abuses, irrespective of their rank or occupation must be prosecuted, named, and shamed.
But the biggest concern with regards to Marange is grinding poverty in a land that produces over 4 million carats annually of which 10% is gem quality. The discovery of the Marange diamond fields in June 2006 was supposed to be a turnaround for the villages around Marange and the nation at large. There is no evidence to suggest diamond wealth is contributing to poverty reduction in Marange.
The Marange Clinic is in an advanced state of dereliction whilst the roads are impassable due to the footprint of heavy mining vehicles. Transport costs to and from Marange have astronomically risen owing to the poor state of the roads.
CNRG is also deeply concerned with the humanitarian crisis at Arda Transau which is apparently abandoned and left to themselves following the relocation that took place between 2009 and 2013. The displaced families have no access to clean, piped water as promised during the displacement. Zimbabwe National Water Authority claims it has no money to buy a stolen transformer to pump the water. A large portion of the Arda Transau community now lines up daily, morning and evening, to fetch water one at a time at an unprotected well. This is taking a toll on women who are now spending hours on end queuing for water. They also walk long distances to fetch firewood as the electricity that was promised never materialized. Houses built for the displaced families have long developed wide cracks and it’s a question of when they will start collapsing. There is also an acute shortage of land for agriculture.
CNRG believes the Arda Transau situation can be addressed if there is a political will to do so. Since the diamond mining firms are still in operation, there is virtually no excuse why the displaced families should find themselves in the current humanitarian crisis. A ZESA Transformer costs less than $50,000 and such an investment can make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people.
The land under the Protected Places and Areas Act of Zimbabwe needs to be revised as soon as possible. CNRG calls on the government to revise General Notice 181 of 2007 and reduce the land under the control of the military and Police and restrict this to the diamond mining zone and the immediate surroundings. This will ensure locals can live freely, enjoying their constitutional rights such as freedom of movement, association, assembly, and conscience. Further, reducing the land under the Protected Places and Areas Act in Marange will ensure effective internal controls as security details will be close to the mining area.
Beyond Marange, the generality of the Zimbabwean population expects diamonds to contribute to wealth creation and socio-economic development as is the case in neighboring Botswana and Angola in Central Africa
CNRG, therefore, calls on the government to:
- Immediately attend to the water and electricity crisis at Arda Transau
- Provide adequate land for farming for the displaced families.
- Upgrade the Marange clinic and other health facilities in Marange.
- Commit to the principles of transparency and accountability and ensure diamonds coming from Marange have an impact on the national economy.
- Set up a victim-friendly police site, where women can report abuses, they face without fear and the cases be taken up to courts for prosecution.
- Abide by section 13 (2) of the constitution and ensure that the Marange community benefits from the diamonds being mined. There should be development of social amnesties and infrastructure including upgrading of the main roads in Marange that have been severely damaged by mining company vehicles.
For more details please contact:
Centre for Natural Resource Governance CNRG Information department, Email info@cnrgzim.org Cell +263 779 078 873Twitter: @CNRG_ZIM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnrg Website: https://cnrgzim.org/