: Diamond money resurfaces in Manicaland

Diamond money resurfaces in Manicaland
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Andrew Mambondiyani on 02 July, 2009 02:54:00
 
Though some of the illegal miners are trying to spend the money with caution,
the truth is that diamond money is on the loose in the province. The business
centres, which had gone quiet, are slowly coming to life.
And the talk at most beer outlets is - kwavakupindika; and it is nowhere else
other than Chiadzwa diamond area. One businessman at a business centre along the
highway said: "Business is improving, but we doubt it will take time before the
law enforcements agents move in with full force again.
"One can easily tell that something fishy is going on by the way people are
spending money and this is also likely to attract the attention of the police.
While we do not condone illegal activities going on in Chiadzwa- like killing
each other- but as the business community, we are captalising on the diamond
dealers' spending sprees. Do you know that one illegal miner spent more than
US$100 on beer alone here last Saturday and who as a businessman doesn't like
that? It is business.
"We know it will not take time and we want to make a lot of hay while the sun is
still shining," said the businessman. An illegal diamond dealer conversant with
the illegal goings-on at Chiadzwa said it was missing the point when people say
illegal mining had started again, as the illegal activities had not stopped even
after Operation Hakudzokwi.
"Illegal mining was going on even after Operation Hakudzokwi. The only issue was
that people were doing it with utmost caution and it involved some unscrupulous
law enforcement agents and a few panners. Most of the diamonds are finding their
way into Mozambique and are smuggled into various countries, particularly the
Middle East and South Africa. If you go to Mozambique now, many buyers are
camped there and some of the panners jump the border through areas like
Himalaya, Cashel Valley and Imbeza. Though the current crop of buyers are not
paying as the previous ones, we are getting enough to feed our families and, of
course, buy little beer," he said with a laugh.
The panner even said it was easy to deal with soldiers than the police, saying
they were easy to bribe. But some people who are not daring enough to join the
diamond bandwagon expressed fear that the new diamond frenzy might again push up
prices of commodities. "If you check prices in shops along the highway, you will
see that the prices are going up. I did not benefit anything from the illegal
diamond mining and I don't think I will love to see another diamond rush. It
will be a disadvantage to us who do not join the illegal activities," Tongai
Mutenda from Zimunya said.
Some of the business centres, which benefited at the height of illegal diamond
dealing last year, include Wengezi, Nhedziwa, Chakohwa, Chaseyama, Hot Springs,
Nyanyadzi, Gundyanga, Birchenough, Chirasika, Mashukashuka and Zengeni, among
others. When the illegal diamond dealings had taken root last year, car sales
business was booming at Chakohwa, so were other businesses like vending and flea
markets.
Even the latest cars on the market could bee seen parked at the dusty business
centre with "For Sale" signs. Electrical gadgets from DVDs to LCD (plasma)
television sets could be seen on the market at the rural business centres. With
all these developments, crime became the order of the day, from mugging to armed
robbery and this in a way brought sleepless nights to law-abiding citizens.