(TALKZIMBABWE) Army not withdrawing from Marange: minister

Army not withdrawing from Marange: minister
Floyd Nkomo
Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:32:00 +0000

SECURITY forces will continue to secure Marange diamond fields in the east province of Manicaland until an investor is secured, a government official has said.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu told journalists after touring River Ranch diamond mine in Beitbridge that the government would gradually remove the forces until a new investor comes in and provides own security, New Ziana said on Friday.

"It is not feasible to leave the place unsecured for the sake of meeting demands," he said in reference to a recommendation to demilitarize the fields made by the Kimberly Process (KP) team that was in the country recently to assess diamond operations.

The team urged the government to demilitarise the Marange diamond fields by July 20 and improve security and control measures.

The minister said the government had identified an investor who was ready to operate in the fields but could not be drawn to reveal the name and when the investor would move in.

"We will ensure that the investor moves in as soon as possible, "he said.

The government, the minister said, was looking at courting more than six investors to exploit the vast fields covering an area of more than 56,000 hectares.

On the KP recommendations, Mpofu said the government was currently studying the report and would respond in writing in due course, adding the government remained concerned about smuggling of diamonds out of the country and would therefore tighten security to ensure mineral resources benefited Zimbabweans.

Meanwhile, security forces issued a statement on Wednesday saying they would, in the meantime, continue to secure the fields until the government takes a position on the way forward.

"The presence of security forces will remain in place," said Senior Assistant Commissioner Munorwei Matutu of Manicaland Province.

"It also needs to be emphasised that because of the vast nature of the diamond fields, the security forces will continue using the various strategies including roadblocks and patrols that has resulted in the decline of illegal panning and dealing in diamonds in Manicaland province," Matutu said.