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                          CRD MEDIA ARTICLES
 
13 January 2023 CIVIL SOCIETY IN MANICALAND STATEMENT ON CONTINUED DEATH OF MINERS AT REDWING MINE
We the undersigned are representatives of community based organizations and civil society organisations raising community voice on environmental, social and economic rights of Penhalonga and surrounding communities. We bemoan government's lack of commitment to investigate deaths of people in mining incidences at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga and effect accountability measures that will secure lives.
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08 December 2022 Press statement on the rising trend of threats of Displacement, arbitrary displacements and house demolitions threatening communities across Zimbabwe.
We, the undersigned civic and community-based organizations, Organized under the banner of the Working group on Land and housing rights in Zimbabwe. Representing communities-of-place across the length and breadth of Zimbabwethreatened or impacted by arbitrary displacements and illegal evictions. Distressed by the worsening social, economic, cultural conditions of communities displaced from ancestral and communal lands and relocated without negotiated and binding Compensation and relocation agreements with government and private investors,
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24 November 2022 Marange community update on the progress made on intended demonstrations in Marange
On 26 October 2022, the Marange community represented by Mr Newman Chiadzwa of Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT) and leaders of Zimbabwe Diamond Allied Workers Union(ZIDAWU) Trust, Bocha Diamond Community Trust (BDCT), Young Entrepreneurs Trust Zimbabwe (YETZ), Centre for Research and Development (CRD), Zivai Community Empowerment Trust (ZICET), Amalgamated Chiadzwa Development Trust(ACDCT) and Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) notified the Zimbabwe Republic Police of a scheduled peaceful demonstration on the 8th of November 2022. The notice was turned down because of two reasons
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16 November 2022 Vision 2030: Will National Development Strategies succeed without key reforms in local governance?
Rural communities in Zimbabwe have endured decades of economic marginalisation as a result of weak governance frameworks that are exclusionary and unsustaible.The net effect on local communities has been poor service delivery, increased poverty, and human rights violations. President Mnangagwa delivered his legislative agenda for the 1st session of the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe on 12 September 2018
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07 November 2022 Press statement by Marange CBOs and CSOs on alleged divisions and planned community demonstrations.
We, the undersigned Community Based Organizations (CBOs) operating in Marange and Civil Society partners dismiss the recently published Zimdaily news article titled “Hands off Marange, community tells civic society organisations”. The report claims Marange CBOs are challenging CSOs to stay away from the community protests slated for the 8th of November.
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27 September 2022 CRD Policy insights on Protected Places and Areas Act.
In 2006, diamond was discovered in Chiadzwa and numerous mining companies, namely, Mbada Diamonds, Diamond Mining Company, Anjin, and Marange resources started to operate in the area. However, due to the rampant diamond rush and artisanal mining from people nationwide, the area was declared a protected area in 2007
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20 September 2022 Workers raise alarm over poor working conditions at Ming Chang Sino Africa Investments in Odzi, Mutare.
Workers employed by a Chinese gold mining company in Odzi farming community which falls under Mutare Rural District, have accused the Chinese company of subjecting them to unsafe and degrading treatment.
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12 September 2022 State security orchestrating diamond leakages in Marange as the human rights situation deteriorates
Evidence unearthed by CRD indicate rampant and reactionary attacks on citizens by state security forces in Marange-protected diamond areas. The attacks have seen an increased number of people falling victim to sexual harassment
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17 August 2022 Penhalonga service delivery committee wins a land mark High Court ruling
In 2021 CRD undertook a community led in Penhalonga in response to concerns raised persistently by the community of ward 21 on lack of service provision on clean water, health, infrastructure, education and environmental health and safety in their community. The audit was also a community led initiative to appraise the performance of MRDC in realising set targets on service delivery set out in its 5 year strategic plan ending in December 2020.
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27 May 2022 Mining policy issues affecting communities in mining
Mining often pollutes the water, air and soil, and can disrupt farming activities and community life. Communities throughout Zimbabwe are struggling to defend their rights to their land, to their environment and to their resources when faced with mining in their community.In terms of the Environmental Management Act a potential miner or a miner is compelled to do an environment impact assessment which involves stakeholder consultations.
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24 September 2021 Update on the Human Rights Situation in Marange Diamond Community
In Chirasika village of Marange at around 2am on 12 October 2020, an armed soldier and two police officers forced entry into Mr Livemore Rwizi’s separate bedrooms where his wives and children were asleep. The 3 were all holding beers in their hands. Mr Rwizi is the village head for Chirasika which falls under headman Chiadzwa in ward 30.
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14 May 2021 Restore Constitutional Powers of Legislation to Parliament in Zimbabwe
President Mnangagwa rejected to assent the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill (MMAB) in September 2018. The Deputy Attorney General pointed 10 clauses of the bill which the President said were weak and needed redrafting.
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08 May 2021 Press Statement by Communities in Manicaland on Gold Leakages in ZIMBABWE.
Zivai Community Empowerment Trust (ZICET) has been in the past following the arrest of local and foreign players in the gold trade industry in Zimbabwe. Recent reports from across the border, Limpopo, states that a Zimbabwean man was arrested at O.R Tambo International Airport in South Africa trying to smuggle 23 pieces of gold. It is disheartening for Zimbabwean citizens when the country is losing domestic revenue to smuggling when resource rich communities are failing to access basic service delivery and sustainable economic benefits. .
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8 May 2021 Lack of Progressive Policy Reforms, a Growing Cause for Concern in Zimbabwe
When opening the 1st session of the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe in September 2018, President Mnangagwa announced that his government was going to table 6 bills in Parliament that were urgent in promoting accountability in natural resource governance.
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8 January 2021 Community raises concern on hazardous mining project in Penhalonga
We the undersigned note with concern the following: That from January to 12 October 2020 Redwing mine contracted a company called Prime Royal Africa(PRA) to set up mining syndicates and exploit shallow open pits (free digging) targeting reef outcrops across the 1254 hectares of Redwing concession without undertaking an Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) process.
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4 November 2020 The executive arm of the state behind smuggling of precious minerals in Zimbabwe
Between 2009 and 2015 government elites facilitated mostly criminal foreign entities to plunder alluvial diamonds in Marange. An estimated US$15 billion of potential diamond revenues was lost through smuggling and externalisation.
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1 May 2020 ZCDC Joint Venture Partnerships (JVPs): Are political elites rewarding themselves again in Marange?
The CRD raises alarm on the demarcation of Marange diamonds fields to numerous players by the government of Zimbabwe. It has come to the attention of CRD that 12 mining entities have since been granted mining concessions in Marange diamond fields.
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1 May 2020 Mining lifespan for ZCDC cut by 50% as government dispossess lucrative concession to Anjin
Government recently ordered ZCDC to free Portal B to the military backed Anjin Diamond Company in Marange. CRD is informed that ZCDC had completed exploration on the diamond rich concession before it was seized to Anjin together with all the geological information.
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28 January 2020 Government controlled diamond mining in Marange masking resource leakages and human rights abuse
On 22 January 2019 around 01 00 hours 3 uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) armed with AK 47 rifles led 49 diamond panners into Portal (A) of Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) and looted about 1 tonne of diamond ore. The soldiers disarmed and assaulted 3 security guards namely Moyo Mostead aged 23 (ID 50-145812 R26), Liberty Mbundinga aged 34 (ID 75 356694 Z83) and Sibangane Bandera aged 52 (ID 32 081638 V32).
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21 August 2019 Unsustainable diamond mining perpetuating conflicts and loss of lives in Marange
On Sunday 18 August 2019, 6 unemployed youngsters from Chareka (2), Gamunorwa (1) villages under Chief Marange and (2) from communities surrounding Marange of 35 and miles broke into Portal A under Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) around 4am with the intention of mining diamonds.
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16 August 2019 Growing public discontent to sluggish implementation of good governance policies and practices in Zimbabwe
On President Mnangagwa guaranteed the nation that his government “will ensure policy consistency, transparency, predictability underpinned by fiscal discipline and responsive bureaucracy” in his state of the nation address to the Parliament of Zimbabwe on 18 September 2018.
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17 May 2019 Government Unwilling to Reform the Diamond Sector in Order to Curb Diamond Leakages and Human Rights Violations in Manicaland
The CRD raises concern on the continuous looting of diamond revenue by government agencies. The concern follows the arrest on Wednesday of Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Morris Mpofu on allegations that he recommended to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe(MMCZ), a blacklisted convict to buy diamonds weighing 358 .58 carats for US$258 224.66 according to a state media report.
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17 January 2019 Soldiers loot diamond ore in Marange during the internet blackout
In Marange, 15 ZNA soldiers armed with AK 47 rifles and accompanied by a syndicate of 30 illegal diamond miners besieged Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) portal B at Mbada Hills and an area nicknamed Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) because of its rich diamond deposits
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18 October 2018 Press Statement on Developments in the Extractive Sector in Zimbabwe
The CRD welcome the appointment of chairpersons of portfolio committees by the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe. The reappointment of Temba Mliswa to chair the Portfolio Committee of Mines must reignite the unfinished business in the Marange diamond inquest.
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7 March 2018 Government complicit in Marange diamond plunder warrant an independent commission
On 23 February 2018 the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) announced in Parliament that only US$2.4 billion dollars had been realised from Marange diamonds sales between 2009 to 2017..
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27 October 2017 Poverty stricken Marange Diamond Community continue to lose lives in Marange Diamond fields
The community of Marange is anxious to know how much revenue will be channelled to the development of their poverty stricken community as ZCDC prepares to sell its stockpiled 1.4 million carats of diamonds.
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25 September 2017 Porous Marange diamond fields a death trap to local communities
In order to curb illegal diamond digging in Marange the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) recommended that the Ministry of Mines identify and licence small scale diamond miners.
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23 June 2016 CRD Press Statement on ZCDC mining operations.
The government’s turn around strategy in the diamond sector was marked by arbitrary seizures of diamond mining companies in Marange and immediate operationalisation of Zimbabwe Consolidation Diamond Company (ZCDC) in February 2016.Depite endless calls for government to engage other stakeholders such as mining communities, business and civil society and under take due diligence processes before consolidating mining companies, government instead chose to do it alone with mines minister Chidhakwa reassuring the nation that he had done his homework and that diamond mergers were going to be successful. The 90 days ultimatum given to mining companies by government to remove their mining equipment have since passed whilst government is embroiled in battles with Mbada, Anjin and Jinan over control of Marange diamonds.
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14 March 2016 Authors’ perspectives on recent mining seizures in Marange.
Dr Masiya (Post Doctoral Research Fellow Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery Human Science Reseach Council Cape Town)
“Seizure of Marange Diamonds mining by the state”
“The takeover of mining by the state is also questionable in that, in the last twenty years or so, the government has not managed to profitably run any public enterprises. In fact giant state enterprises have collapsed. It is unlikely that it will miraculously run the diamond mines. In fact there are strong signals that the influx of artisanal miners is back in the diamond fields following the state takeover. In response, the state is likely to increase police and military presence and with it, a new wave of human rights abuses.
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26 February 2016 Press Statement by the CRD on the closure of diamond operations.
The Centre for Research and Development is following with keen interest the order made by the ministry of mines yesterday that mining companies must cease all mining operation.Diamond mining operations in Marange have been a site of lack of transparency and accountability since commencement of mining operations in 2008.Opaque mining practices have deeply impoverished local communities whilst pillaging the country’s natural resource for individual gain.It is against this background that government has decided to centralise its oversight in the exploitation of diamonds by merging all diamond players in the newly formed Zimbabwe Consolidation Diamond Company(ZCDC).The CRD is however concerned that government has already started the consolidation process without undertaking due diligence processes that would have forced mining companies to account for economic plunder of Zimbabwe’s diamonds. We are deeply concerned that prior to the merger, government has not instituted independent audits on all mining operations in Marange where government is a major shareholder. read more

6 February 2016 Government laxity over the deteriorating state of affairs in the diamond mining operations in Manicaland Province raises eyebrows.
The Centre for Research and Development is deeply concerned at the level of deterioration that has become of the diamond industry of Manicaland Province where the government has been an active partner since commencement of formal mining operations in 2009.Events in the last 7 months have seen massive job losses, arbitrary salary cuts and employees working without salaries in Marange diamond mining operations. Many of the retrenched workers have not yet received their severance packages. Faced with mounting salary arrears and the dangers of labour court challenges from their employees some mining companies have reportedly duped workers to sign “statement of account arrears” documents to ensure that workers continue to provide labour without salaries.
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23 October 2015 CRD's Response to Chidakwa's statement at the mining indaba
The recent statement by mines and mining development minister Chidhakwa that mining companies are resisting consolidation and that they misrepresented their investment plans to government is frivolous and cannot be accepted as an explanation for government failure to transform the diamond industry.The government of Zimbabwe adopted the Zimbabwe Diamond policy in june 2014 in order to close existing policy gaps and regulate the diamond industry.The diamond policy provided the framework for the development of the diamond act to legally effect reforms in the sector. Three years have passed since the adoption of the diamond policy but no diamond act has been availed by the ministry of mines.If it had been enacted the diamond act would have adequately dealt with issues of accountability, contracting, marketing, revenue disclosure, security, local beneficiation among other issues.The move by Chidhakwa to merge mining companies in the absence of a legislative diamond policy framework is like putting the cart before the horse. It is also disturbing to note Chidhakwa is giving more priority to mergers without overhauling the mines and minerals act to improve on transparency and accountability in the mining industry.
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13 February 2015 The CRD response to Vice President PhelekezelaMphoko’s call for lifting of ban on River bed mining in Mutare River.

Insinuations recently made by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko and Minister of State for Manicaland Province Mandi Chimene that DTZ-OZGEO Mining operations must resume in Mutare River are regrettable, self centred and illegal. By its nature river bed mining is unsustainable because it has catastrophic effects on the environment. DTZ-OZGEO mining operations have destroyed Mutare River and degraded agricultural land at Premier yet the community has largely remained alienated from the benefits accrued from the mining project over the years. The failure by DTZ-OZGEO to account for environmental damage in Mutare River was inevitable because of the prohibitive cost associated with rehabilitating a riverbed where large scale alluvial mining operations have been undertaken. The Centre for Research and Development is on record for fighting against river bed mining in Zimbabwe.read more

4 November 2014 MANICALAND PROVINCIAL CIVIL SOCIETY DIALOGUE ON DIAMONDS IN PREPARATION FOR THE ZIMBABWE DIAMOND CONFERENCE
The potential of diamonds in Marange to accrue the much needed revenue that could resuscitate the ailing Zimbabwe economy and uplift the living standards of vulnerable communities has not materialized due to lack of transparency in the allocation of mining rights, beneficial ownership, opaque financial terms of joint ventures coupled with diamond leakages.

The first quarter of 2014 saw Zimbabwe earning 99 million out of the 1 342 000 carats of Marange Diamonds sold in Antwerp and Dubai respectively. Of the two diamond sales in Antwerp government got a paltry 10.4million out of 69 million dollars of revenue generated according to official sources. In his own words after this sale minister Chidhakwa said that: I quote “given the tokenistic payments made to treasury since operations in Marange commenced, it is evident that there is something terribly wrong either with the way the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is operating or the way mining contracts are negotiated.
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23 September 2014 Press Statement: Centre for Research and Development and Zimbabwe Natural Resource Dialogue Forum.

Civic Society Respond to Chidhakwa’s update on mining mergers in Marange.

We stand here deeply concerned about the arbitrary decision taken by government to direct mineral companies to merge as a way for the state to centralise its over-site on the exploitation of the diamond rich Marange area. We believe that diamonds are a finite resource and the structure of ownership and control in Chiadzwa in its present and envisioned state demands speedy and wise reform. This is not only a prudent decision in giving closure to this perennial problem but it is overriding human rights imperative.

It is our desire as citizens to have constructive engagement with the government because we realise the opportunities that such platform presents. We also know that the fair, transparent management and distribution of natural resources is key to the realisation of the achievable ...so called low hanging fruits of ZIMASSET. Reform in the diamond sector cannot be an event, but should be a well thought-out process, especially in this country and for this community to whom land is central to economic security. Sadily, the people of Zimbabwe have been increasingly denied of this opportunity.
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30 August 2014 Human rights violations upsurge in Marange amid reports of diamond leakages.
The CRD raises concern over the increase in incidences of human rights abuses taking place in the diamond fields of Marange. Information coming from Marange indicate that the tussle over control of business between mining companies and government has deeply impacted on the lives of workers and the mining community. Mining companies have arbitrary slashed workers’ salaries and in some instances workers have gone for months without receiving their monthly income. Other companies like Anjin have cited viability challenges as reason for downsizing in the process terminating contracts for hundreds of semi skilled workers who were recruited mostly from the surrounding community. The above actions by mining companies have contributed to security laxity in the entire operational structures of the mines leading to diamond leakages 
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9 April 2014 Civil Society in Manicaland responds to the latest developments in the mining sector: Joint Press Statement by CRD and ZNRDF
Appointments to Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and Mining Affairs Board (MAB).
Civil society in Manicaland note with concern that the government has once again made new appointments to ZMDC and MAB in the absence of a new legal mining piece of legislation and an administrative framework that is embedded in transparency and accountability.
The admission by government that the country has been prejudiced billions of dollars in potential revenue due to unregulated mining practices compels civil society to demand that the minister of mines urgently come out with a comprehensive mining development framework that is transparent and uphold the fundamental rights of communities made vulnerable by mining activities.
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18 March 2014 Statement on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights

The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) and the Center for Research and Development (CRD), call on the Government of Zimbabwe and mining companies operating in Zimbabwe to adopt and endorse the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are a set of guidelines for States and companies to identify, prevent and redress human rights abuses committed by businesses in their operations.
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17 March 2014 Press Statement on Marange Diamonds.
Centre for Research and Development and Zimbabwe Natural Resource Dialogue Forum
The potential of diamonds in Marange to accrue the much needed revenue that could rescusitate the ailing Zimbabwe economy and uplift the living standards of vulnerable communities has been stifled by the perpetuation of well calculated and deliberate practices by responsible authorities in government that has been seen in the eyes of progressive voices of Zimbabwe, Civil Society and summed up by the World Bank as lack of due process in the allocation of mining rights, concealment of beneficial ownership, opaque financial terms of joint ventures and leakages of revenue to treasury.

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