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Miner Plans to Sue Zimbabwe over Marange Ban
Government Reportedly Deploys Police to Protect Mines Amid Break-In
Feb 25, 2016 6:48 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... The Diamond Mining Company (DMC), one of the companies ordered
to stop operations in Zimbabwe’s Marange fields by the government,
plans to sue the nation’s administration for alleged breach of contract,
Reuters reported.
Mines and
Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwa told diamond miners in the country February
22 to cease excavation because their licenses had expired.
Ramzi Malik,
DMC’s general manager, said the firm’s joint venture with the state-owned
Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) stipulates that renewing licenses was
the government’s responsibility, according to the Reuters report February 24.
Asked whether the DMC
would go to court if the government did not reconsider its position, Malik
said: "I am sure we will," according to the report. “If
you are removing the concession it means you are in breach," he was further
cited as saying.
The DMC is a
50-50 joint venture between United Arab Emirates-registered Pure Diamonds and
the ZMDC, according to the report.
Chidhakwa said
February 22 the government’s decision was not negotiable and police would be
deployed to protect the mines, Reuters said. “Unknown” people broke into the
mine and stole solar panels, generating batteries and office equipment Monday
night, and fuel from generators and earthmoving equipment was drained, Reuters
reported, citing Malik.
"The
value is in thousands of dollars. There is going to be a lot of loss, a
lot," Malik was cited by the news agency as saying.
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Tags:
Diamond Mining Company, Marange, mining, Rapaport News, Walter Chidakwa, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation
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