The United States (US) Embassy in Harare, which influenced
its capital to bar rough diamonds from Zimbabwe on allegations of forced
labour, yesterday admitted it had no primary evidence of the practice, but
relied on reports from third parties.
This week, US authorities issued a so-called Withhold
Release Order preventing Zimbabwean parcels from entering the American market.
Stakeholders viewed this as a fresh attempt to blacklist
Zimbabwean goods ahead of a Kimberly Process Certification Scheme intercession
meeting slated for India next month.
Interestingly, there is another ongoing process of undermining Zimbabwe’s
enjoyment of its natural resources as the US is set to promulgate an
anti-trophy hunting law called “Cecil Act” purportedly inspired by the killing
of Cecil the Lion at Hwange National Park by an American millionaire dentist,
Walter Palmer, in 2015.
US Embassy spokesperson Ms Stacy Lomba yesterday admitted
the US had no authoritative information on the alleged forced labour practices
in Zimbabwe.
“Widespread public reporting indicates that adults and
children are being coerced into diamond mining in the Marange diamond fields,”
said Ms Lomba.
“As the US law prohibits the importation of goods made with
forced labour, CBP will issue a Withhold Release Order (WRO) for artisanal
rough diamonds of Zimbabwe origin. WRO is not a ban on imports of artisanal rough
diamonds from Zimbabwe. Rather, importers who contend that their particular
diamonds were not mined with forced labour can submit evidence to CBP that
supports their contention in accordance with our laws,” said Ms Lomba.
In interviews yesterday, key stakeholders in the diamond
sector decried the US stance against Zimbabwean diamonds.
Zimbabwe Consolidated Mining Company spokesperson Mr Sugar
Chagonda said the company’s employment policy was guided by the Labour Act
which did not allow recruitment of children or forced labour.
“Certainly, ZCDC is a law-abiding corporate citizen and
does not practise child labour. Our employment policy is strictly guided by the
Constitution and the Labour Act and we are not sure where that is coming from,”
said Mr Chagonda.
Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) general
manager Mr Tongai Muzenda dismissed claims of child labour being peddled by
Washington.
“We are also surprised by the allegations that there could
be forced labour in Chiadzwa. One would have thought that ordinarily
Zimbabweans are looking for jobs, therefore where would the ‘forced’ aspect be
coming from?” said Mr Muzenda.
Former Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu
said the US decision to block Zimbabwean diamonds under the false pretext that
they were produced through forced labour was meant to manipulate the prices of
the gems so that Harare failed to get commensurate value to its minerals.
Dr Mpofu fought protracted battles during his tenure as
Minister of Mines and Mining Development with the country’s detractors who
sought to have Zimbabwe’s diamonds blacklisted so that it could not sell its
diamonds through the KPCS.
“America has a long history of undermining Zimbabwe’s
diamond sector,” he said.
“It’s unfounded and uncalled for. They are lies meant to
tarnish the image of the country so that the country will not realise the
actual value of its precious stones” said Dr Mpofu.
He said civil society always opposed Zimbabwe is a
compliant to the world diamond market.
He added that the USA is working with some civil society
organisations to classify Zimbabwe’s gemstones as conflict diamonds in order to
prevent their sale on the formal market.
Dr Mpofu noted that big powers such as the USA wanted to
intimidate other countries so that they did not benefit from their mineral
resources.
“The USA never send teams to Zimbabwe to monitor the
production of diamonds in the country. We have some committees who monitors the
production of diamonds in the country to make sure we meet with the required
standards. The US embassy rely solely on false reports from civic society,”
said Dr Mpofu.
On Tuesday, the US Embassy Harare sent a seemingly
celebratory tweet yesterday saying: “US Customs & Border Protection issued
a Withhold Release Order for artisanal rough cut diamonds from Zimbabwe’s
Marange diamond fields on Oct. 1, 2019 due to evidence of forced labour. US law
prohibits importation of goods made with forced labour.”
Interestingly, even Zimbabwe’s Center for Natural Resource
Governance, which usually fights with Government, said it had not received
reports of systematic forced labour. Herald
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