George Maponga in Masvingo
BIKITA-based Nan Jiang Africa Resources has stopped operations after exploration results showed kimberlitic pipes in the area did not contain diamonds.
Over 300 workers have since been retrenched and only 21 security guards remain on site.
Nan Jiang Africa Resources is a consortium of Chinese investors and a local businessman and has been exploring for diamonds in Bikita for over two years.

When our Harare Bureau visited the site last week, site manager Sam Muchemwa said:
“We are only left with a few workers who are looking after mining equipment and the plant but the rest were retrenched because our diamond exploration results were negative.

“However, the best person to speak to is our geologist, Tension Hlatini”.
Hlatini would not comment on the matter.

Sources said the company was waiting for the government to allocate it a new claim.
“We hope the government will give us another area to explore because the kimberlitic pipes here at Devuli Ranch are non-diamondiferous. This means they do not have diamonds,” a source said.

Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Fred Moyo said he was not aware of plans to allocate Nan Jiang Africa Resources a new claim.
“What we know is that the company could not find the diamond resource in Bikita. As a ministry we know of their investment in diamond exploration but they could not quite find the resource they were looking for.

“As for plans to allocate them additional claims, I do not have details, the ZMDC would know better because they are the ones dealing with joint ventures,” he said.

Bikita Rural District Council chief executive Johnson Mpamhadzi said he had received the Nan Jiang Africa Resources report on cessation of operations.

“The closure of the mine is a big loss to Bikita in terms of employment.
“Many people have lost their jobs and we do not even know what the company is going to do with the heavy machinery they had moved in. They had also connected electricity to the mine,” he said.

Mpamhadzi said council would consider starting a training centre at the mine if offered the premises.

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