Mugabe says government will take over all of Zimbabwe’s diamond mines
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe said on Thursday his government would take possession of all diamond operations because existing miners had robbed the country of its wealth.
Mugabe’s comments came a week after the ministry of mines ordered all mining companies to halt work and leave the Marange fields, saying they had not renewed their licences. At the time it denied it was seizing the mines.
“The state will now own all the diamonds in the country,” Mugabe said during a two-hour interview with state broadcaster ZBC TV.
“Companies that have been mining diamonds have robbed us of our wealth, that is why we have now said the state must have a monopoly,” Mugabe said.
The largest diamond miner in Marange, Mbada Diamonds, on Monday sued the government at the High Court and was allowed to take control of its mining assets.