[Executive head of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Professor Arun Kulshreshtha] said Zimbabwe should take a leaf from countries that have developed vibrant economies from prioritising value addition and beneficiation.

“You should value add your diamonds and sell them at an auction that is located here. There is no reason of selling your diamonds in other countries.

“If you look at India, the city of Surat, they do not have the diamonds but look at Surat, it’s a diamond city with thousands of jobs.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said his country is planning to partner a Chinese company, Chow Tai Fook, to polish locally produced diamonds…
“We have discovered diamonds in the country and we are at production level but at the same time we have been thinking of cutting and polishing of diamonds.
“And of course we knew that there was a famous company that does polishing and goes beyond that, and so we would want to partner (it).”

via Rough & Polished

via Rough Diamond Geologist:

I know the sanctions are imposed to try and affect regime change, but that strategy has been counter-productive. The people I spoke with don’t blame Mr. Mugabe for their suffering and hardship, they blame the West. The banks have a severe liquidity problem and the poor and the average person are the ones who are paying the price for the sanctions. White, black, green or yellow, everyone I spoke to about the sanctions wanted to tell the West that it is they the folks, who are suffering and paying the price.

This interview is fascinating. Farai Maguwu was imprisoned by Mugabe’s thugs after documenting human rights abuses in Marange and reporting them to KPCS monitors. Here he details his frustrations with the KP :