Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Several illegal diamond miners were discovered this last week hiding in a pit on the claim now being mined by Canadile Mining in the Chiadzwa Diamond Fields of Zimbabwe. They were handed over to the police and revealed that they had been let in the night before by the security guards at the mine. Forty guards have now lost their jobs because of the security breach. Harare, Zimbabwe, 02 December 2009 Forty guards at the Marange Diamond Fields have been fired for accepting bribes from illegal diamond miners. The guards are said to have accepted the bribes in order to allow the illegal miners to get into the Canadile mines at the diamond fields at night in order to mine the precious minerals. Security at Marange Diamond Fields is now so tight that the small-scale and illegal miners are finding it difficult to continue with their operations. They thus resort to bribing guards at night to be let into the diamond claims owned and fenced off by the mining companies now operating there. The di...

Rough diamonds from Marange: the Zimbabwe government is riding roughshod over a court decision for their company, ZMDC, to vacate the diamond claims owned by Africa Consolidated Resources (ACR). The company now says it will prosecute the new partners that the government have brought in to develop the fields together with ZMDC. It appears diamonds will be the curse of Zimbabwe, with the Marange Diamond Fields openly being carved up now. There are specific areas that are known by the locals as belonging to specific politicians. These areas have been fenced off. Under such circumstances, there is no hope that the law will actually prevail. Mugabe knows the language of intimidation and force very well. Harare, Zimbabwe, 22 November 2009 The Zimbabwe government-owned Zimbabwe Minerals Development Corporation (ZMDC) is refusing to comply with a High Court Order for it to vacate the Marange Diamond Fields and let the owner of the claim, Africa Consolidated Resources, move back in to start ope...

In a remote corner of Zimbabwe, the true worth of a vast new diamond field emerges. Robert Mugabe's response? To allow his mutinous military to enslave villagers as miners and seize the profits - and destroy fragile protocols against blood diamonds. Foreign Reporter of the Year Dan McDougall and photographer Robin Hammond risked their lives to get dramatic first-hand evidence of the unimaginable suffering of the miners for Live magazine. Their despatch poses the question - can you go into your local jewellers with a clear conscience ever again? Harare, Zimbabwe, 21 September 2009 The mailashas emerge as cautiously as impala from the shadows of scorched yellow kikuyu grass that fringes the long highway to Mutare. Their name translates as 'smugglers'. It's our first sight of them. There are three in all and they're no more than 14 years old. They reach out into the road at the approach of our slowing BMW and take a deadly gamble, forming their fingers into a distinct...

Four illegal diamond miners are in police custody facing charges of murder after they killed a fellow diamond panner at the Chiadzwa Diamond Fields (above) in Marange, Eastern Zimbabwe, on Monday. Police openly admitted today that, although there is strong presence of armed forces at the diamond fields, illegal mining is still going on. Harare, Zimbabwe, 03 September 2009 Four illegal gold dealers have been arrested for murder at the Diamond Fields of Chiadzwa in Eastern Zimbabwe. The murdered diamond panner was accused of having stolen cattle by the accused. The four accused are said to have met up with their fellow illegal diamond miner, who has not been named by police, at Chiadzwa diamond fields where they intended to pan for diamonds. Upon meeting him they accused him of having stolen two cattle on Monday afternoon this week. He reportedly denied the charge and they started beating him up. They used logs and sticks to assault him. After that, reports say they force-marched the man...