New Crushing Plant Commissioned in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa recently commissioned a Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) crushing plant at Chiadzwa. This marked the country’s transition from alluvial to conglomerate diamond mining as he warned of swift punishment for corruption in the sector.

The plant and equipment were procured from Belarus following initiatives by President Mnangagwa when he visited that country in 2015 as Vice President. The shift to conglomerate mining is expected to change the face of the diamond industry, says a news report.

He also reportedly said that the commissioning of the plant was in line with ZCDC’s vision to be among the top five producers of rough diamonds in the world.

“In line with the national vision of increasing production across all sectors, I am advised that ZCDC has a vision to be among the top five producers of rough diamonds in the world in the next five years, with annual production of around 10 million carats. Thus the commissioning of this conglomerate crushing plant, with a capacity to produce around 650000 carats per month at full capacity, augurs well with this vision,” the President was quoted by a news report.

He urged the company to use the plant to raise productivity. He also urged the mining sector to promote sustainable livelihoods and protection of the environment.