Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Harare (Fides news Agency) - The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) has announced plans to increase production at its Chiadzwa mine in the Mutare district, Manicaland province, in eastern Zimbabwe from 3.8 million carats in 2025 to 5 million carats in 2026.
Despite the weakening global diamond market and increasing competition from synthetic gemstones, ZCDC management is pushing ahead with the expansion of the processing plant in Chiadzwa. The diamond mining expansion is scheduled for completion by August 30, 2026, and aims to increase the mine's efficiency and production capacity.
Mining in Chiadzwa has been the subject of controversy for years, bringing ZCDC and some small-scale miners into conflict with farmers and the local population.
Despite the vast diamond deposits that have been exploited by the mining industry for nearly 20 years, the residents of Chiadzwa continue to live in poverty. The roads remain in a state of disrepair, and infrastructure, including healthcare and education, remains inadequate. The population has also been forcibly evicted, while industrial and artisanal miners, with the support of state security forces, have taken possession of communal land. Livestock is also at considerable risk: it can fall into open pits or be endangered by sewage and waste from the mines. Intensive mining has also degraded soil fertility and intensified competition between farmers and mine operators for access to water resources.
The Chiadzwa case was discussed at the National Conference on Dialogue and Mediation in Mining-Affected Areas, held in Harare from June 3 to 4. The initiative was launched by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in collaboration with the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC).
The Conference's final declaration emphasized that "despite the enormous mineral wealth, communities in mining-affected areas continue to live in poverty, and many of the promises made by investors have not been kept." Participants called for concrete measures to ensure greater transparency in mining activities and the management of related profits, to promote the participation of local communities in the decision-making and oversight processes of resource companies, to strengthen conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms, and to ensure compliance with environmental and labor regulations, with particular attention to combating child labor. (L.M.) (Fides News Agency, 17/6/2026)
