Mozambique Confirms Illegal Sale of Diamonds From Zimbabwe

Posted in News by Admin on December 18th, 2009

Diamonds smuggled out of Zimbabwe are being illegally sold on the Mozambican side of the border in Manica town, according to the administrator of Manica District, Jose Tefula, cited by Radio Mozambique.Zimbabwe’s loose diamond deposits are located nearby in the province of Manicaland. These deposits have attracted a high number of foreigners, notably from Nigeria, Somalia and the Great Lakes region, some of whom are renting rooms in Manica.

“I confirm that diamonds are being illegally sold in our district and they’ve been smuggled from Zimbabwe,” said Tefula. “Locally, we don’t have any diamonds.” 

Manica district has an overwhelmingly peasant population, but in recent months, some people here have acquired substantial wealth, judging by the number of luxury four-wheel-drive vehicles now on the roads. This is attributed to the illicit trade in diamonds, which are believed to come from the Marange region in Manicaland. The diamonds are sold in Manica at night and the going price mentioned by the radio report was about $50 (1,350 meticais) per gram. Iimmigration authorities in Machipanda, the main border post of Zimbabwe, have announced the seizure of more than half a kilo of Zimbabwe diamonds.

“We seized some grams from people who were trying to cross the border with the diamonds in their genitals,” said the head of the Machipanda post, Alberto Limeme, cited in a report from the Portuguese news agency, Lusa. “But it’s difficult to fight this smuggling on the border if there isn’t tight control in the mines.”