From New Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is streamlining its diamond sector so that only one or two companies remain operational in the country, President Robert Mugabe has said.

The veteran leader was quoted as saying that the country needs to emulate its diamond producing neighbors that have very few diamond mining firms.

Currently, there are seven companies mining gems in Marange in the eastern part of the country.

Discovered in 2006, the Marange diamond field has been reported to contain huge diamond deposits capable of satisfying 25 percent of the global market.

The government has partnered some foreign firms in mining the Marange gems.

“In fact, we are reorganizing the diamond industry so that we create one or just two companies not more than that, like we have in South Africa, in Botswana, Namibia, Angola. You do not have multiplicity of companies doing diamonds,” the president said.

“A partner who is reliable, who has also capacity from the point of view of technology as indeed also from the point of view of investment capital,” Mugabe said.

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