Continued reports that US$15 billion worth of diamonds disappeared from mining claims in Chiadzwa are a reflection of a failure to understand the context in which the initial estimate was communicated, a senior Government official has said.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week, Presidential Press Secretary Mr George Charamba said the media had failed to comprehend that Former President, Cde Robert Mugabe, had used that figure as a metaphor to express the magnitude of his anger at the opaque nature of operations at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.
Mr Charamba said it is illogical to assume that US$15 billion could have been siphoned from the sector as the country was yet to produce diamonds worth that much.
“As a problem of externalisation, it was not a scientific figure but he (Cde Mugabe) simply wanted a clean sub sector. He was not indicating the degree of prejudice. In any case, it wouldn’t make sense given the value of this economy and world value of diamond trade.
“But also, how on Earth can a country such as Zimbabwe amass US$15 billion dollar worth of diamonds? It’s impossible! Are you aware that not even Cicil John Rhodes, with all the Kimberly area that was mined may not even have amassed that US$15 billion?
“Now what is little Zimbabwe and little Marange diamond field? Most of them our diamonds are predominantly alluvial and predominantly industrial. So to achieve US$15 billion? Come on, don’t be crazy.”
“The global value of diamond trade is about US$14 billion, so if you say US$15 billion, you are implying that Zimbabwe alone, little Zimbabwe, with only alluvial diamonds, the greater part of which were industrial anyway and not gem quality mined diamonds, is greater than the total value of diamond trade worldwide. Does that make sense to you?”
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