Related Articles
Top Stories
May 27 2012 11:21
There's a price war raging between South Africa's cellphone networks after Cell C lowered the rates of its prepaid calls by more than 34%.
May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
May 28 2012 07:53
The City of Cape Town has spent R175m running the Myciti bus service since the Soccer World Cup compared to an income of R35m, a report says.
Harare - Zimbabwe has made progress in complying with the requirements of a diamond watchdog body, a state daily reported on Wednesday as the Kimberley Process retreats in Namibia.
"We strongly believe that as a country, we have done all in complying with the requirements of the process," Mines Minister Obert Mpofu was quoted as saying by The Herald at Kimberley Process annual meeting.
His remarks came as civil society groups, which are part of the process, are demanding the suspension of Zimbabwe's international diamond trade, after a Kimberley team documented "horrific" abuses by the army against civilians in the eastern Marange diamond fields in July.
Mpofu said the situation in the vast diamond fields was rapidly changing as the government had engaged two investors to exploit the alluvial gems, adding that Zimbabwe had yet to receive promised 'technical support' from the KP.
"The government has engaged two investors to work in partnership with the ZMDC (Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation) in the exploitation of Marange diamonds," Mpofu said.
"Security has been erected around the plant and mining areas. Double fencing is being used with electric fence forming integral part of the fencing system."
The Kimberley Process, named for a South African mining town, was created in 2003 with the aim of curbing the flow of "blood diamonds" into the mainstream market.
About 70 diamond-producing countries, industry groups and civil society organisations form part of the Kimberley Process, which is meant to stop diamond sales from benefitting armed groups.
- AFP