Rio Tinto in Murowa: A Case of Blood Diamonds?
The story of the discovery of diamonds in Murowa (Zimbabwe) by Rio Tinto Diamonds caught my attention. Once I started reading several online reports of the company's explorations in the village, I started thinking about the changes such an important discovery might have brought. One news article led to another, until I saw this one: "Zimbabwe:Families, Company Clash Over Relocation", which is archived at allafrica.com.
Why am I interested in this development?
I grew up in Mototi, a village near Murowa, in Mazvihwa. This place is forty kilometers away from Zvishavane Asbetors Mining town, which is located in South Central Zimbabwe. The area, of course, was not known for any kind of resources, so it did not have much in terms of infrastruture, but we grew up all the same, with a great sense of pride and a sense of belonging. Murowa was central to the fabric of its neigboring villages because that's where all the primary schools converged for inter-school sports. Murowa was also important as a spiritual portal for most families in Mazvihwa because it was known for its powerful spiritual healers and diviners. Its soils, while not the most fertile, could do wonders with the least amount of rains. I remember that when we ran out of food reserves in places like Mototi, Gudo, and Muringi, which were very drought-prone, we travelled to Murowa to buy the necessary grains for survival. Murowa was a major supplier of various kinds of groundnuts and pinto beans. It was also known as the region of fruits ranging from mapfura, shuma, matohwe, and nhengeni.
The terrain of Murowa is also breathtaking: it is the dominion of numerous granite and igneous outcrops which live in harmony with evergreen trees of all shapes and sizes. Then in the more open Savanna stretches, elephant grass massages ageless baobab trees. You know an area with baobabs is hard to starve because baobab fruits are a source of food in the harshest of conditions. But baobabs were only small part of the diverse resources Murowa had to offer to its neighboring villages. And the people, of course, were the most friendly. It is no wonder that someone might have suspected that there was more to this diversity of flora and fauna called Murowa than just grinning rocks and endless stretches of forest. Rio Tinto discovered three kimberlite pipes on the mine site in 1997. They conducted "feasibility studies and mine planning" from 1998 to 2000.Then the mine was commissioned in 2004.
When Rio Tinto Diamonds opened the mine in 2004, over 1400 families were relocated to government-owned farms in Shashe, Masvingo. That's over two hundred kilometers away from a home these people had known for many years. Now it is reported that the families feel that the government and Rio Tinto breached the terms of the Relocation package. I mention the government and Rio Tinto PLC in the same breath because both bodies have stakes in the diamond mine. Rio Tinto PLC, headquartered in London, owns 78 per cent of the company. The other 22 per cent is owned by the government parastatal RioZim, which is based in Harare. Remember, it is to government farms that the villagers were relocated. Other terms of the contract included the construction of homes, the report says, and some royalties from the diamond mine.
Zimbabwe is estimated to have over 16.5 million tonnes in diamond reserves.
Why am I interested in this development?
I grew up in Mototi, a village near Murowa, in Mazvihwa. This place is forty kilometers away from Zvishavane Asbetors Mining town, which is located in South Central Zimbabwe. The area, of course, was not known for any kind of resources, so it did not have much in terms of infrastruture, but we grew up all the same, with a great sense of pride and a sense of belonging. Murowa was central to the fabric of its neigboring villages because that's where all the primary schools converged for inter-school sports. Murowa was also important as a spiritual portal for most families in Mazvihwa because it was known for its powerful spiritual healers and diviners. Its soils, while not the most fertile, could do wonders with the least amount of rains. I remember that when we ran out of food reserves in places like Mototi, Gudo, and Muringi, which were very drought-prone, we travelled to Murowa to buy the necessary grains for survival. Murowa was a major supplier of various kinds of groundnuts and pinto beans. It was also known as the region of fruits ranging from mapfura, shuma, matohwe, and nhengeni.
The terrain of Murowa is also breathtaking: it is the dominion of numerous granite and igneous outcrops which live in harmony with evergreen trees of all shapes and sizes. Then in the more open Savanna stretches, elephant grass massages ageless baobab trees. You know an area with baobabs is hard to starve because baobab fruits are a source of food in the harshest of conditions. But baobabs were only small part of the diverse resources Murowa had to offer to its neighboring villages. And the people, of course, were the most friendly. It is no wonder that someone might have suspected that there was more to this diversity of flora and fauna called Murowa than just grinning rocks and endless stretches of forest. Rio Tinto discovered three kimberlite pipes on the mine site in 1997. They conducted "feasibility studies and mine planning" from 1998 to 2000.Then the mine was commissioned in 2004.
When Rio Tinto Diamonds opened the mine in 2004, over 1400 families were relocated to government-owned farms in Shashe, Masvingo. That's over two hundred kilometers away from a home these people had known for many years. Now it is reported that the families feel that the government and Rio Tinto breached the terms of the Relocation package. I mention the government and Rio Tinto PLC in the same breath because both bodies have stakes in the diamond mine. Rio Tinto PLC, headquartered in London, owns 78 per cent of the company. The other 22 per cent is owned by the government parastatal RioZim, which is based in Harare. Remember, it is to government farms that the villagers were relocated. Other terms of the contract included the construction of homes, the report says, and some royalties from the diamond mine.
Zimbabwe is estimated to have over 16.5 million tonnes in diamond reserves.
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