The Zimbabwe Review: mining

Showing posts with label mining. Show all posts

Why some find Julius Malema's views on Zimbabwe so provocative

Oct 17, 2012

South African political rabble rouser Julius Malema was in Zimbabwe over the weekend. During and immediately after his brief visit he ruffled a lot of feathers in his host city as well as at home. It is clear that he finds Zimbabwe's 'revolution' inspiring for his own battles, but what he means as praise for Zimbabwe sometimes comes out sounding as mockery. Still, his views are partly provocative because they offer a a view of the events in Zimbabwe that is diametrically opposed to the dominant South African and western narrative of the country as a 'failed state' that South Africa should carefully avoid emulating.

A post-mortem of the pullout of Global Witness from the Kimberley Process

Dec 30, 2011

The NGO Global Witness has pulled out from its association with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for the global diamonds industry. It says it has lost confidence in the KP’s ability and willingness to stop abuses of various kinds in various diamond mining countries. Quitting the KP might be a matter of frustrated principle for Global Witness, but that arguably gives it less influence to fight the abuses the organization claims to be so passionate about.

Community share schemes: more questions than just about political gimmickry

Dec 14, 2011

As part of its campaign strategy for a crucial upcoming election in which it must seriously consider the prospect of being beaten by the MDC, ZANU-PF has embarked on a shakedown of mining and other big companies. The shares they are being persuaded or arm twisted into ceding to local communities have been described by some as an ‘election gimmick.’ They probably are at least in part, but there are other even serious questions about them that remain unanswered.

Does Kimberly Process certification of Zimbabwe's Marange diamonds end the controversy?

Nov 10, 2011

After much controversy and contention, the Kimberly Process diamond certification scheme has lifted its sanctions on the sale of stones from the Marange diamond fields. This will have a significant effect on Zimbabwe’s battered economy, but the overall controversy over Marange is unlikely to end soon.

Diamond-backed civil service pay raise and the 'resource curse'

Jul 20, 2011

In many ways the debate and uncertainty over whether or not there would be a promised pay raise for Zimbabwe's civil servants has been a disgraceful show of how the Zimbabwean coalition government just doesn't work very well. But now that government workers have begun to receive their higher pay, many questions arise about whether the new find of diamonds is going to be a great benefit or a curse for the country.

The Kimberley Process problems beyond human rights at Marange

Jul 12, 2011

It is becoming increasingly clear that the on-going controversy over whether Zimbabwe's Marange diamonds should have Kimberley Process certification is much more than about government human rights abuses there. Refusal by the Mugabe government to transparently commit to lifting doubts about conditions there have clearly harmed the country's diamond marketing prospects. But there are also problems with some opponents of the Mugabe government wanting to use the KP to make points and for purposes for which the certification scheme was not designed.

Is the ongoing Kimberley Process impasse on Marange still about human rights?

Jul 9, 2011

After the disputed go-ahead by the current chairman of the Kimberly Process, Zimbabwe's Marange diamonds are reportedly moving on international markets again. But the controversy over them continues to rage, with the people of Marange seemingly becoming everybody's football in the increasingly political fight.

Zimbabwe wins a Pyrrhic diamond victory at the Kimberley Process

Jun 30, 2011

There should be triumphant celebration over the announcement by the Kimberley Process' chairman that Zimbabwe can now sell its Marange diamonds on the open market. But the lack of consensus within the KP for the decision means that they will continue to carry the taint of being 'dirty' in important diamond markets.

As Canada criticises Zimbabwe over diamonds, how exemplary are its mining investments?

Jun 26, 2011

Canada has been in the forefront of efforts to stop the exports of diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields. As an important member of the Kimberley Process and a country with an overall 'clean' international image, Canada's concerns over government human rights abuses at Marange and the marginalisation of the local communities have some weight. But it turns out that Canada has some human rights-in-mining issues of its own to worry about.

As Zimbabwe divides Kimberley Process, a contrarian view of the diamond certification scheme

Jun 25, 2011

Last week's Kinshasa meeting of the Kimberley Process diamond certification scheme ended with the official announcement of Zimbabwe now being free to market its diamonds from Marange 'legally.' Predictably not all the KP's members agreed with the decision, so the controversy will continue. But as some question the existence and relevance of the KP in the wake of its divided stance over Zimbabwe, others interrogate the very basis of having such a diamond certification scheme at all.

Global stampede for Zimbabwe's diamonds; exports controversy rages

Jun 21, 2011

by Chido Makunike

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme has yet another meeting this week, in DRCongo capital Kinshasa, to try to get consensus amongst its members about the the issue of the export of Zimbabwe's controversial Marange diamonds. Within and outside the Kimberly Process , there is an amazing amount of global jostling over Zimbabwe's hot new resource.

Diamonds give isolated Zimbabwe newfound diplomatic leverage

Jun 16, 2011

Zimbabwe has been prominently in world headlines for many controversial reasons these past ten years. Some of the controversy continues, but some is receding as more focus shifts to its rich mineral pickings, including the newest one, diamonds.

Mining booms, but where is Zimbabwe's diamond revenue going?

Jun 10, 2011

The discovery of diamonds in Zimbabwe has given the Mugabe government a lifeline just when its options were running out, with the rest of the economy on its knees and the country cut off from most international finance.

But there is little sign of the country as a whole benefiting from its new-found diamond wealth. Where is the money going?

National wealth fund: good idea but Zim's reality suggests 'not now'

Jun 2, 2011

There is no shortage of fancy ideas coming out of the Zimbabwean government to deal with national challenges. There have been innumerable ones over the years, but almost invariably things get messed up in implementation. By most indices Zimbabwe is much worse off than it was ten years ago, let alone 30 years ago at independence.

Now a Zimbabwean minister has just announced that the country is going to set up a Sovereign Wealth Fund "in line with global trends to ensure that future generations benefit from mineral resources being mined today."

Zimbabwe's fantasies about mining investment shareholding

Jun 1, 2011

The concept of deliberate measures to ensure that locals benefit from foreign mining investments has largely been accepted across the world. What form this takes will vary and is subject to how each deal is negotiated between each investor and the local authority concerned.

So there is nothing particularly strange about Zimbabwe's 'indigenization efforts.' Several mining concerns have expressed their willingness to cooperate.

But very few things in Zimbabwe are easy or straightforward.

Implementing indigenisation that is also beneficial to Zimbabwe

Mar 27, 2011

by Chido Makunike

The full details may be yet to be clarified, but it looks like Zimbabwe is set on a path of some kind of radical shareholding 'localization,' including of the mines.

Zimbabwe is neither the first nor the only country to seek to maximize the benefits of its natural resources. Nor is it the first to be suspicious that there are 'leakages' that take place in the way foreign-dominated sectors like mining are run.

But the history of forced takeovers (even though it has been denied this is what it will amount to) that mirror Zimbabwe's situation do not provide encouraging signs that the desired results of widespread economic 'empowerment' can be achieved this way.

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