RAPAPORT… One Zimbabwe cabinet minister said that some 50,000 carats of rough have been extracted from the Marange diamond mine so far in 2007. The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation has extracted the rough, but a dollar value and export figures were not provided.
Amos Midzi, minister of mines and mining for Zimbabwe told the Zimbabwe Chronicle that mining projects are underway and that the government is capable of producing diamonds at Marange. The statement follows some critizism from a few officials that the government-controlled mining company was not suited for development projects without assistance from experienced mining companies.
Midzi added that while the Kimberley Process team was in Zimbabwe earlier in June, the government cooperated with the team and had nothing to hide.