Government mulls diamond cutting college

Government will establish a diamond cutting and polishing college in Manicaland Province by next year using money it will get from selling gems that are being evaluated, a Cabinet Minister has said. Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa assured Senators last Thursday that by January next year, “something tangible” should have been achieved.

Manicaland Senator Judith Mawire (Zanu-PF) had asked Minister Chidhakwa when would Government establish a college for diamond cutting and polishing in the province, which the minister had indicated in previous interactions.

“People are still expecting to see that college being launched,” said Sen Mawire. “Was it just politicking or there is a process that is being followed?”

Minister Chidhakwa said he had liaised with Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa to ensure that resources for the project were mobilised.

“I am promising you that this is work in progress, we need to lay some ground work, have some designs and some draft drawings for the establishment of this college,” he said.

“Maybe I will challenge you, ask me the same question in January about the progress done on this Gemology College and if I fail to produce results I will be living up to my name, ‘the drunkard’ ‘Chidhakwa’.”

Minister Chidhakwa said Government will use its quota system from the sale of diamond proceeds once they resume selling of the gems.

“I also had discussions with the Minister of Finance and Economic Development so that we have the same idea and have a budget for the college,” he said.

“As of now, we have stopped selling our diamonds and when we start selling these diamonds, we are going to have a quota system whereby some fund is going to be set aside for the construction of this college.

“I held a meeting with the Department of Infrastructural Development. This is going to be a college of high esteem, almost equivalent to a university and also it will be a boarding school.

“We have another college in Bulawayo and we are saying we need to have another one in Mutare. This is called a Gemology Centre.”

Minister Chidhakwa said people of Manicaland had applied to have a college and it was critical that they were supported to ensure the fulfilment of that objective.

“As Government, we are supporting that idea,” he said.

“When we talked about founding this college, we were following your initiatives and we said this is a noble idea of having a college of cutting and polishing of diamonds.

“I said to the organisation, Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company, which had replaced the organisations, which have been plumed out of diamond programmes and we said you are the responsible authority, you should establish and fully implement what had been removed by these organisations that were booted out of diamond mining.”–herald