GEMOLOGY

ZIMBABWE DIAMOND FIND

The Sunday Mail

Fungai Lupande

Mashonaland Central Bureau

THE Chiadzwa diamond fields hold an estimated 50 million carats, with parts of the mining concession having grades of up to 1 000 carats per 100 tonnes, it has been learnt.

According to the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), the country’s diamond industry has grown from US$40 million to over US$420 million in the past six years. Speaking during a tour of the diamond fields recently, ZCDC exploration manager Mr Hope Mvura said they have since defined a massive deposit of 12 billion tonnes of ore.

The bulk of the precious stones are, however, industrial diamonds.

Mr Mvura said they are presently mining an alluvial diamond deposit at the Umkondo Basin. Although potential of the resource is huge, he said, there is a need for more research.

“The deposit was formed through weathering and transportation.

“The source could be continental. Up to now, we do not know the source of the Chiadzwa diamonds,” he said.

“Underground mining is not possible due to the type of rock, which cannot support underground mining. Therefore, we resort to a massive open-cast pit.”

Mr Tawanda Kadowonda, who is in charge of mine planning at Chiadzwa, said his role is to determine whether or not the mine can commercially exploit all the 50 million carats.

“It is important to add value to the diamonds, because this is what determines how much the resources will be utilised,” he said.

“We have defined 12 billion tonnes, which translate to 50 million carats. We are going to mine everything.”

The mining processes are highly mechanised. The mine has 11 excavators, 21 trucks and five drill rigs. Metallurgy manager Engineer George Chipepera, who was trained as a metallurgical engineer at the University of Zimbabwe and has extensive experience in the industry, said they presently have the latest machinery in diamond processing.

“I gained a lot of experience at several diamond mines, including Murowa Diamonds in Zvishavane, before working in Botswana.

“I came back in 2022 to work for my community and my country,” said Eng Chiperera, who was also born and bred in Chiadzwa.

“I am giving back my skills and experience to my community. It is a wonderful thing for me. This has become a big motivation in my community, as they now see that hard work is rewarding.” Zimbabwe, which generated more than US$424 million in revenue from diamonds last year, is considered the seventh-biggest diamond producer in the world, according to finance and business analyst Mr Albert Norumedzo.

But the “real money” lies in the diamond money value chain, especially in cutting and polishing, jewellery and retail sales, he said.

“Most of the cutting and polishing is done in India, and they export to the jewellery industry in Europe.

“Fifty percent of the diamonds end up in the United States of America, yet 65 percent of rough diamonds come from Africa,” said Mr Norumedzo.

“Having 50 percent of the market base in a certain geographic location affects prospects due to geo-political conflicts.”

Bad publicity and intrinsic high barriers to entry, he added, have constrained Zimbabwe’s participation in the value addition of its diamonds.

“The world needs to know that we are mining responsibly, creating jobs and are conscious of the environment,” he said.

“Perception is key in selling diamonds. The largest consumers of diamonds are in the USA, who are also the largest consumers of information and news.”

He claims ZCDC could be losing margins of between 30 percent and 40 percent in prices due to negative perception.

ZCDC mine manager Mr Admore Mangoma said the operation has a lifespan of 12 years, while the resource has a 40-year lifespan. “Zimbabwe was appointed to be Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) chairperson for 2023,” he said.

“Concurrently, Zimbabwe was also appointed to lead the African Diamond Producers Association for 2023.

“This follows a successful review mission in May 2022, when the team visited ZCDC operations in Chiadzwa and found that Zimbabwe complied with the minimum requirements of the KPCS.”

Mr Mangoma said ZCDC’s community engagement and development framework were commended and recommended for adoption by other diamond producers.

“When the public is made aware of the positive strides that the industry is making, this promotes the brand and enhances our stakeholder relations,” he said.

Diamond mining at Chiadzwa started in 2008. Initially, Government had to move in to restore order after the earlier diamond rush.

ZCDC is wholly owned by Government.

Presently, greenfield exploration is underway in Chimanimani and Mwenezi.