Council minutes
in the hands of Chipinge Times indicate that Alrosa which is the world’s
biggest diamond producer by volume prospected for diamond in Makiri area which
is under Chipinge without alerting the rural council.
In an interview
with Chipinge Times, council chairperson Alderman Godfrey Makuyana confirmed
that council learnt about the prospecting activities when the company had
already left the area.
According to
the minutes, Alrosa breached Section 38(2)(f) of Zimbabwe’s Mines and Minerals
Act which requires prospectors to notify the relevant Rural District Council
before operating on communal lands.
Meanwhile
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management (ZimParks) contradicted the RDC and said
that Alrosa had authority from the Ministry of Mines to do the prospecting.
A fact-finding
visit by Chipinge RDC officials on February 25, 2025, found Alrosa’s
prospecting camp already abandoned.
“Alrosa mining
company did some explorations at Mikiri, an area adjacent to Chipangayi Safari
without Council knowledge and left the area.
“According to
Chipangayi ZimParks, they had authorisation papers from Ministry of Mines. When
we visited, they had already left and their camp was deserted,” read the full
council meeting minutes document.
“Yes, we only
learned about this after the fact. We made a follow-up with the Ministry of
Mines and we learnt that the company took samples, and now we are waiting to
see if they return based on what they found,” said Makuyana.
Alrosa, a
Russian diamond-mining corporation and global leader in diamond production,
began exploring Zimbabwe in 2013. After dropping its licenses in 2016, the
company returned in 2019 and has since secured 40 Special Grants and Exclusive
Prospecting Orders. Since this year, Alrosa has conducted a number of
exploration activities in the country. Masvingo Mirror
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