Troubled Chinese miner Anjin Diamond Mining is undergoing an exploration of diamonds in the vast Marange diamonds fields.
The development was revealed during a tour of the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) by members of the media.
“I understand that Anjin is back in Marange and they are currently doing exploratory work,” said ZCDC acting chief executive officer Roberto De Pretto.
De Pretto hastened to point out that they are not in a joint venture with the Chinese miner.
“We used to operate in Portal A and B but we have since withdrawn from Portal B. Anjin is now operating there but we are not in a joint venture. They are on their own. They don’t report to us,” said De Pretto.
Concerns had been raised by natural resource watchdogs alleging that the Chinese miner had not conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment and was operating under a claim separate from which they were awarded an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate for.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) indicated that Anjin was awarded an EIA for its old claim under Portal Q.
“Anjin Diamond Mining renewed their EIA certificate for their old claims that they were mining before the government order. Portal Q claims is under ZCDC and they did the EIA for Portal Q and the license is still valid,” said EMA spokesperson Amkela Sidange.
However, it has emerged that Anjin is operating in Portal B which was formerly under ZCDC.
“The EIA certificates are site-specific meaning it’s confined to areas where the EIA certificate has been issued unless the Company issued with an EIA certificates subcontracts to the other, but the overall responsibility lies with the Company issued with an EIA certificate. Basically, the EIA certificate cannot be transferred to another site,” explained Sidange.
Anjin was a 50/50 percent partnership between the military and Chinese investors Anhui Foreign Economic Construction (AFECC) which also owned Jinan Mining.
It was part of the eight miners that were kicked out of Chiadzwa in 2015 after the then Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa refused to renew their mining licenses to make way for ZCDC.
Through its shareholding company, AFECC, Anjin, and Jinan filed a High Court application seeking to regain their mining rights in Marange citing a breach of bilateral and contractual agreements.
AFECC lost the High Court case and took the matter to the Constitutional Court as they resisted calls by the former government to withdraw the case.
They were later readmitted back into Marange by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s new dispensation. Source: The Industry and Trade Expert