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VICTORIA Falls — President Robert Mugabe said on Friday Zimbabwe had voluntarily agreed to comply with the requirements of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme but can break ranks with the body if it continues to be a stumbling block to the country’s ability to sell diamonds.
Opening the 71st annual general meeting of the Chamber of Mines Mugabe said: “We entered voluntarily and we can get out voluntarily.
“I haven’t seen a single diamond from Chiadzwa but we are obeying the rules set for us to obey since we went in voluntarily.”
He said if the KPCS “comprising some countries which are not friendly to us continue to hinder us then we might have to do some rethinking”.
“Countries like Britain and Australia want to take advantage of us so that the process creates the same effect as sanctions are doing,” he said.
The KPCS is a United Nations system designed to certify the origin of rough diamonds from sources which are free of conflict.
It aims at preventing trade in “blood diamonds.”
Abbey Chikane, the KPCS designated monitor was in the country last week to assess if Zimbabwe was ready to release gem stones from the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields to the international market.
Human rights groups want the country banned from selling the diamonds citing alleged human rights abuses and rampant smuggling by security forces.
On indigenisation, Mugabe said he was shocked by the level of opposition to the new regulations being pushed by Zanu PF.
Government is reviewing legislation that would have seen foreign-owned companies ceding 51% of their shares to locals within the next five years.
“I am just amazed by the ruse of negative publicity towards this policy of indigenisation when in fact its regulations provides for flexibility where necessary,” he said.
He said some mining houses such as Rio Tinto had undertaken several projects to support locals.
He castigated Anglo American for doing very little in terms of benefiting the country.
“Anglo American is one of the largest producers, what is it doing — just taking gold away?
“Taking the wealth away not minding the fact the resource is non-renewable.
“It creates empty spaces, holes, big empty holes that have to be levelled and what has gone cannot be replaced”.
He said mining houses’ contribution to their communities should be considered when refining the indigenisation policy.
“If there is that input why should we not consider it as part of your investment?”
BY KUDZAI KUWAZA
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