via Zimbabwe Sells Diamonds in Belgium 12.12.2013 by Tatenda Gumbo VOAZimbabwe
Zimbabwe on Wednesday is said to have auctioned 300,000 carats of diamonds in Brussels, Belgium, despite continued calls by activists for transparency on the Zimbabwean diamond market.
The sale at the Antwerp World Diamond Centre marks the first sale of diamonds in Europe following the lifting of targeted sanctions against the state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa told Studio 7 in an interview the ministry is still waiting for more details on the diamond sale by Antwerp.
The sale though comes amid reports that all is not well in the diamond mining industry with reports that the Ministry of Mines has dissolved boards of the ZMDC, Marange Resources and Minerals Marketing Board.
Anjin Investments and Jinan Mining companies operating in Marange are said to have retrenched 160 workers. To make matters worse, there are reports that alluvial diamond deposits are running low and there will be need for companies to invest in technical equipment to source kimberlite diamonds.
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