Cabinet yesterday approved the Zimbabwe National Diamond
Policy which is expected to regulate the diamond mining sector and ensure
accountability in the mining, processing and selling of the precious mineral.
The policy will see only the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond
Company (ZCDC), Murowa Diamonds and two other companies to be approved by
Government undertaking diamond exploration and mining in the country.
Briefing journalists after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting,
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Acting Minister Mangaliso
Ndlovu said the policy covers all stages of the diamond value chain, namely
exploration, mining, processing, valuation, marketing, beneficiation, value
addition as well as issues of security and law enforcement.
Outlining the key features of the policy, Minister Ndlovu
said: “Any other entity or person with diamond mining title shall approach any
one of the four approved companies for joint venture arrangements.
“Government through ZCDC shall be the 46 percent and the
local Community Trust — the 5 percent indigenous partners of any foreign
investor who intends to undertake diamond mining activities in Zimbabwe.
Government may waive that local ownership threshold subject to satisfactory
submissions and due diligence. All rough diamonds produced from all diamond
mining operations shall be submitted to the Diamond Value Management Centre to
be established by the ZCDC for cleaning, sorting and valuation save for Murowa
Diamonds.”
Minister Ndlovu said private players will participate in
value addition after cleaning and sorting and after obtaining the necessary
approvals.
He said 10 percent of diamonds will be reserved for local
value addition.
Government, in consultation with stakeholders, came up with
the diamond policy after observing loopholes that made it inadequate to
effectively regulate the diamond industry in the face of emerging developments
and new dynamics in the industry.
Minister Ndlovu said Cabinet received a progress report on
the upgrading of the Harare-Beitbridge Road.
“Notable progress so far registered on the project is as
follows: Segmentation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway Road into nine sections,
namely Skyline-Beatrice; Beatrice- Chivhu; Chivhu Town: Chivhu- Fairfield;
Fairfield-Masvingo; Masvingo Town; Masvingo-Ngundu; Ngundu-Bubi; and
Bubi-Beitbridge,” he said.
“Commencement of works on selected portions of the highway,
namely: Skyline-Beatrice and Beatrice-Chivhu: and construction of the detour
along the Skyline-Beatrice Section as well as the Beatrice- Chivhu section is
already underway.”
Minister Ndlovu said Cabinet was briefed on the new city
designs and urban regeneration projects by Local Government, Public Works and
National Housing Minister July Moyo.
These designs and projects cover the new Parliament Building
and the New City in the Mt Hampden and urban renewal project for Mbare
(Harare), Sakubva (Mutare) and Makokoba (Bulawayo).
“The new city project will be developed in partnership
between Government and private sector players, based on the concept of the
modern and self-contained smart city. The launch of the projects will be
undertaken soon.”
Minister Ndlovu said with the festive season coming,
Cabinet had agreed that a raft of preventive measures be taken at the policy,
regulatory, infrastructural and social security levels to curb road accidents.
“The various measures to be introduced in this regard will
be publicised to the nation after the ongoing consultations on the roadmap for
their implementation have been concluded,” he said.
Cabinet also approved several projects to be implemented
under the 100-day priority projects under the ministries of Information,
Communication Technology and Courier Services and Industry and Commerce. Herald
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