1. INTRODUCTION
The Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, diamond producers, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and civil society organizations (CSOs) embarked on a self-assessment of the diamond sector to gauge if the country was compliant with the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). This initiative emanated from a resolution that was made by the Committee on the 26th of July 2021 to set up a sub-Committee with the sole mandate of conducting an inquiry into the diamond sector, in particular to assess its level of compliance with the KPCS. To this end, the sub-Committee was empowered to spearhead engagements with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, CSOs and other stakeholders.
The sub-Committee held meetings with key stakeholders in the diamond sector whereupon it was established that Zimbabwe was due for an assessment by the KPCS Review Mission however, there were delays due to the Covid 19 pandemic. A resolution was made on the 18th of August 2021 to jointly conduct a self-assessment of the diamond sector. The inaugural meeting was attended by Members of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development; Honourable W. Chitando, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Honourable P. Kambamura, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Mr. O. Moyo, the Permanent Secretary for Mines and Mining Development and Mr. T. Muzenda, the General Manager of MMCZ. Officials from the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) and CSOs represented by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) and the African Alliance for Responsible Mineral Sourcing and Fair Trade (AARMSOFT) were also in attendance.
