Thousands of Zimbabweans have joined a diamond rush in a remote eastern district of the country, cutting down trees and digging pits and gullies in a desperate attempt to strike it rich, a weekly newspaper reported on Friday.
Schoolchildren and the elderly have joined the diamond panners in the Marange communal lands, where about 4 000 people are estimated to be looking for the precious stones, the Manica Post said.
The paper said school enrolment in the area had drastically gone down as pupils abandon their schoolbooks in the hope of making a quick buck. Schoolteachers are also reported to be digging for diamonds.
The rush began in May after a villager went to the official Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) with a sample of a stone he had mined to find out whether it was a real diamond, the report said.
So rich is the area that, if fully exploited, it could become Zimbabwe’s second biggest diamond producer, the paper said. Murowa Diamond initiative in Zvishavane is the biggest producer so far.
The authorities here are intensely worried by the latest rush, believing Zimbabwe is losing much-needed foreign currency through the illegal sale of diamonds. — Sapa-dpa