via New diamond deposits found in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe December 13, 2013 By Taurai Mangudhla NewsDay
MUTARE-BASED miner DTZ-OZ GEO (Pvt) Limited says it has found conglomerate deposits capable of producing 2,5 million carats of top quality diamonds in the province’s Chimanimani area.
The company, a joint-venture mining firm established in 1994 and jointly owned by the Development Trust of Zimbabwe which was established by the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and Russian company Econedra Limited, has been doing extensive exploration work on its claims in Chimanimani over the past two years.
The company in July this year acquired a state-of-the-art 70 tonne Dense Media separation machinery projecting processing capacity of up to 50 000 carats per month, DTZ-OZ GEO deputy managing director Bornwell Mupaya told journalists during a tour of the company’s gold mining operations in Penhalonga last week.
“The diamonds are smaller, but are of better quality than those found in Marange because they are conglomerate with 40 to 50% being gem quality,” Mupaya said.
However, the cost of mining the stones is much higher than alluvial diamonds.
“Despite the cost, we have done our work and we have seen that we can mine in a way that makes economic sense,” Mupaya added.
The DTZ-OZGEO deputy managing director said exploration was still ongoing amid indications the Kimberlite could be near the Chimanimani deposits.
“Experts have come from Russia and they said we could find the Kimberlite pipe if it has not deformed over the years.”
In terms of operations, the company has a sort house in Penhalonga where all sales are conducted. The company employs experienced sorters who have a wealth of international experience and have worked with companies like Alrosa. The sorters also train local people to acquire sorting and grading skills using Russian standards.
According to DTZ-OZGEO, current diamond mining has to target the competent conglomerate with drilling and blasting.
The company said mining at the Chimanimani deposits focuses on the 30 degrees steep dipping conglomerate body which has a huge variety of diamond morphologies, including well-formed octahedral crystals.
DTZ-OZGEO has an alluvial gold mining operation in Penhalonga with capacity to produce up to 20kg per month.
The mine was shut down by the Environmental Management Agency on grounds the company had failed to meet environmental standards last month.
The new diamond mine will add to two diamond producers outside Marange — namely Murowa Diamonds and River Ranch.
Seven diamond mining companies — Anjin Investments (Anjin), Diamond Mining Company (DMC), Gye Nyame, Jinan Mining Private Limited (Jinan), Kusena, Marange Resources and Mbada Diamonds — are operational in Marange and have been extracting alluvial diamonds mostly.
However, the alluvial deposits are fast running out and companies are required to invest in new technology for conglomerate diamond mining which they claim is not commercially viable.
The miners have failed to get maximum value for their produce due to embargoes against the trade of the Chiadzwa diamonds in Europe and America on allegations of human rights violations.
The players, through the help of government and Mines minister Walter Chidhakwa, have looked for new and better marketing options amid growing support from the international community for free trade.
Global diamond watchdog Rapaport this week reported that the first tender of rough diamonds from Zimbabwe to be held in Europe following the removal of sanctions would take place at the Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility from December 11 to 16.
The tender offers about 300 000 carats from Anjin, DMC, Jinan, Kusena and Marange Resources.
COMMENTS
Try try try again Chinamasa, if at first you don’t succeed, try try try again. The BIG question is (what are you trying) there is nowhere you can get money for oppressing the people. So try try try again.
EMA should be more active with the degradation that is happening at these mine sites.Has Roy Bennett been compensated for his farm that these new mining operations are taking place on?
Compansated 4 wot??? Did he buy da farm??
Massive global underworld mafia fraud looting
How many times should these deposits be re-discovered. This is another khakhi envelope journalist as described by supa. These deposits are alluvial and are along the Haroni River. Roy Bennet was first to exploit them then came the Russians who have been looting them since 2007 lying to Govt that they were still exploring. These Russians are cunning looters. They used “geologists” like Gregory who is remembered for his cruelty of unleashing dogs on workers. This diamond is virtually on the surface. They have been secretly smuggling it out through Mozambique. Pse check the frequency of their trips to this country. This so-called Deputy Managing Director Mupaya is nothing other than a mere Russian Speeking Translator being used as a smokescean to cover their plundering and looting. He can not even differentiate between alluvial and conglomerate. Shame!
I’m glad u recognise that Roy woz looting them from way back!! Dats why he’z mad!! He lost da farm
Minister Chidhakwa should have noticed how the roads leading to their operations are badly maintained, just to give the wrong impression that not much activity or diamond or gold is being produced. The country is being plundered and left degraded by these looters.
Mr Honourable President,to err is human, but these people have taken advantage of the plight of this country to destroy it. Please save the remaining resources. Right now they are in a panic mode that they have acquired a 75tone bulldozer to quickly exploit the remaining deposits here in chimanimani before they flee including the purported new plant. Workers have not been paid for the last two months whilst the managing director is remitting huge sums of money to Russia including his wife. It has also been exposed that these looters intend to leave all plant and machinery damaged Portuguese style without paying workers. These people are the most cruel in the world. If we had been unfortunate to be colonised by them, we would have been living in the bush till now. God forgive.
Do you (Gregory) work in the Chimanimani diamond fields? If not p, how do you know the Russians are looting our diamonds? Please tell us more so we can be in a position to act.
I used to work for the security department of this company until recently. They are an unprincipled lot. They treat you worse than a 16th century slave. Some of my former black superiors are living in slavery.
90% of the Russians have no work permits and are in hiding since Immigration officials are said to have visited their operations. All of them are doing menial jobs and are coming into the country as specialists/ trainers/ engineers/ or when they are in fact drivers/ operators/ cooks/ smugglers and intelligence agents against locals and the state.
Ma1
The greatest tragedy that can ever befall a community in Africa is to have a precious mineral discovered in their land. The discovery of diamonds in Chimanimani is the baddest thing ever to happen to that district.
gregory is right. e only pple who are employed at chimanimani are purely guards only. the road leading to e mine is poorly made to give an impression that there z no economy activity taking place. all along they neva wanted to recruit specialised pple like diamond evaluators and monitors preferring their kith and kin for obvious reasons. the truth z that roy bennet looted diamonds from the area without our knowledge but we cannot allow the russians to do e same. our govt should act b4 it is too late like e bennet case