The socio-economic impact of Chiadzwa informal diamond mining on the lives of the people of Chiadzwa and its hinterland

Abstract

Since the discovery of the vast fields of diamonds at Chiadzwa in Marange District, Manicaland province, life has not been the same for the people of the area and the surrounding districts, especially Marange, Mutare and Buhera. Diamond mining, both formal and informal, has impacted on their way of living, from their agriculture, their health, their values, the upbringing of their children, especially of school going age, their moral probity, including their language. Activities around the mine, the population traffic into a small place previously unknown to many even within the country, not to mention those from different countries have, in one way or the other, altered the way the people of Chiadzwa live. A people”s life had been transformed and history had to record the transformation. The research set out to document the changes noticeable in the way of life of the people of Chiadzwa and its hinterland. In tracing and recording the socio-economic activities around Chiadzwa, the study used interviews, observations, focus group discussions and questionnaires. Targeted sampling was used for all administrators and random sampling was used for the miners, policemen, vendors, buyers and business people. The findings were that the lives of the people of Chiadzwa were to a large extent improved in the informal phase of mining. It was, however, difficult to establish the quantity of diamonds extracted during the phase in question.