Policies & IssuesOct 27, 2021
ARM Challenges Jewelry Designers to Launch Fairmined Gold CollectionsPolicies & IssuesNov 09, 2021
Marange Diamond Protests: What the Industry Should Know
A company called Anjin is mining in Zimbabwe again, stirring up protests among area residents that resulted in 29 arrests.
Twenty-nine people were arrested but later released after protesting the return of mining company Anjin to Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields. The company left the country under a cloud of controversy in 2016.
Chiadzwa, Zimbabwe—Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields are in the news again amid local concerns about one mining company returning to the area.
More than two dozen locals who were protesting the operations of Anjin in Marange were arrested Nov. 2.
They have since been released, according to multiple sources in Zimbabwe, but Anjin’s presence in the area—and the issues locals have with it—are still a conversation the people who live in the Marange area want the trade to have.
Anjin is a joint venture between Chinese company Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group (AFECC) and Matt Bronze, an investment vehicle of the Zimbabwean military.
The company mined in Marange previously, from 2009-2016, before the government revoked mining licenses from the companies operating in the area and created its own Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC).
At the time it expelled Anjin, the government accused the company of looting billions of dollars’ worth of the country’s diamonds, an accusation it denied.
There were also claims of human rights violations surrounding Anjin in Zimbabwe, including destroying infrastructure like roads, schools, farmland, and sacred areas, as well as concerns over how it treated employees and allegations it left the country without paying local employees the money they were owed.
More than two dozen locals who were protesting the operations of Anjin in Marange were arrested Nov. 2.
They have since been released, according to multiple sources in Zimbabwe, but Anjin’s presence in the area—and the issues locals have with it—are still a conversation the people who live in the Marange area want the trade to have.
Anjin is a joint venture between Chinese company Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group (AFECC) and Matt Bronze, an investment vehicle of the Zimbabwean military.
The company mined in Marange previously, from 2009-2016, before the government revoked mining licenses from the companies operating in the area and created its own Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC).
At the time it expelled Anjin, the government accused the company of looting billions of dollars’ worth of the country’s diamonds, an accusation it denied.
There were also claims of human rights violations surrounding Anjin in Zimbabwe, including destroying infrastructure like roads, schools, farmland, and sacred areas, as well as concerns over how it treated employees and allegations it left the country without paying local employees the money they were owed.
Now, according to numerous reports and sources on the ground, Anjin is once again mining diamonds in Marange.
The Zimbabwe Independent reported that Anjin took over Portal B, a diamond-rich mining claim in Marange, under “unclear circumstances.”
Local news stories dating back to 2019 indicate the miner returned a few years ago. Shamiso Mtisi, coordinator of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition and deputy director at Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, confirmed these reports to National Jeweler.
Mtisi said Anjin has been re-establishing its operations in the area since then and possibly started mining for diamonds earlier than 2021, which is when Anjin claims formal mining operations resumed.
The return of a company with such a history in the country has angered locals.
The people of Marange responded with protests starting in late October, according to the Marange Women’s Alliance (MWA), which is sponsored by the Responsible Jewelry Transformative.
They were protesting that local communities weren’t consulted before Anjin returned, nor were they compensated for Anjin moving onto their land.
Additionally, Anjin’s return has caused problems between clans, the women of MWA told National Jeweler, since Anjin asked one clan to perform an important ceremony calling on their ancestors for prosperity on another clan’s lands.
The protestors were hoping their actions would force Anjin to meet with locals and hear their concerns, but when area residents were asked to meet with Anjin officials, 29 of them, including a local leader, were instead arrested.
No contact information for Anjin or AFECC could be found online to reach out to for comment on the recent protests and arrested in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe Independent reported that Anjin took over Portal B, a diamond-rich mining claim in Marange, under “unclear circumstances.”
Local news stories dating back to 2019 indicate the miner returned a few years ago. Shamiso Mtisi, coordinator of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition and deputy director at Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, confirmed these reports to National Jeweler.
Mtisi said Anjin has been re-establishing its operations in the area since then and possibly started mining for diamonds earlier than 2021, which is when Anjin claims formal mining operations resumed.
The return of a company with such a history in the country has angered locals.
The people of Marange responded with protests starting in late October, according to the Marange Women’s Alliance (MWA), which is sponsored by the Responsible Jewelry Transformative.
They were protesting that local communities weren’t consulted before Anjin returned, nor were they compensated for Anjin moving onto their land.
Additionally, Anjin’s return has caused problems between clans, the women of MWA told National Jeweler, since Anjin asked one clan to perform an important ceremony calling on their ancestors for prosperity on another clan’s lands.
The protestors were hoping their actions would force Anjin to meet with locals and hear their concerns, but when area residents were asked to meet with Anjin officials, 29 of them, including a local leader, were instead arrested.
No contact information for Anjin or AFECC could be found online to reach out to for comment on the recent protests and arrested in Zimbabwe.
🇿🇼Headman Chiadzwa Mbundire of Marange arrested for protests against a Chinese company mining diamonds in his area. Over a decade ago we @hrw documented abuses in Marange. https://t.co/K5ex1YfpuA pic.twitter.com/wB0mGIkk09
— Dewa Mavhinga (@dewamavhinga) November 3, 2021
This “weaponization of the law to silence community voices” concerns Farai Maguwu, founding director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, which works to improve governance of natural resources in Zimbabwe. He added that arresting a traditional leader who is inquiring about events happening in his community is a violation of the Traditional Leaders Act and Zimbabwe’s constitution.
“Government should have engaged (the local communities) and found an amicable solution,” Maguwu said.
Both the Marange Women’s Alliance and the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (via Twitter) confirmed the 29 individuals who were arrested have been released on bail but were served with restraining orders to stay 100 feet away from the mining concession.
The Marange Women’s Alliance told National Jeweler there doesn’t appear to be any plans for negotiations at this time.
A tweet from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association indicated the case had been remanded in the courts until Nov. 22.
“The incident and arrests points to deep-seated unease between the community and the company,” Maguwu said. “The diamond industry must call on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the rights of local people—among them, the right to development.”
Marange has been in the headlines since diamonds were discovered there in 2006.
Maguwu has been calling attention to issues in the area for a long time, recently in an August column for Rapaport, in which he declared the Kimberley Process “continues to greenwash the country’s conflict diamonds.”
Related stories will be right here …
“Government should have engaged (the local communities) and found an amicable solution,” Maguwu said.
Both the Marange Women’s Alliance and the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (via Twitter) confirmed the 29 individuals who were arrested have been released on bail but were served with restraining orders to stay 100 feet away from the mining concession.
The Marange Women’s Alliance told National Jeweler there doesn’t appear to be any plans for negotiations at this time.
A tweet from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association indicated the case had been remanded in the courts until Nov. 22.
“The incident and arrests points to deep-seated unease between the community and the company,” Maguwu said. “The diamond industry must call on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the rights of local people—among them, the right to development.”
Marange has been in the headlines since diamonds were discovered there in 2006.
Maguwu has been calling attention to issues in the area for a long time, recently in an August column for Rapaport, in which he declared the Kimberley Process “continues to greenwash the country’s conflict diamonds.”
The Kimberly Process imposed an export ban on Marange diamonds in November 2009, but just two years later formerly approved the export of diamonds through two companies—Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources.
Both companies were added to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list and still are on it, according to the OFAC website.
The timing of the recent protests and arrests putting Marange in the spotlight once again comes just as the Kimberly Process kicks off its 2021 Plenary meeting (Nov. 8-12), hosted by the Russian Federation, the current chair.
National Jeweler reached out to the World Diamond Council for comment on the situation but WDC President Edward Asscher deferred comment until after the meeting.
In a Monday press release, though, the WDC said Asscher reasserted the need for KP members to agree to expand the definition of “conflict diamond” at the meeting’s opening session to support long-term consumer confidence.
The KP Civil Society Coalition said it plans to make the developments in Zimbabwe part of the event’s conversation, Mtisi recently confirmed to National Jeweler.
The coalition opened the meeting Monday with what it termed a “reality check,” and provided important updates, including both promising as well as worrying developments from diamond-producing countries.
In a recent editorial on JCKOnline.com, longtime industry journalist Rob Bates argued the KP isn’t likely to address such issues, however, and instead offered two other solutions for the trade from industry experts as well as a few ideas of his own.
More on Policies & Issues
The Latest
FinancialsMay 30, 2025
Movado’s Q1 Sales Slip Amid ‘Challenging’ Retail Environment The company plans to raise the prices of select watches to offset the impact of tariffs.
CollectionsMay 30, 2025
Piece of the Week: Renato Cipullo’s ‘Hematite Blaze’ NecklaceDesigned by founder Renato and his daughter Serena Cipullo, it showcases a flame motif representing unity and the power of gathering.
CollectionsMay 29, 2025
Britney Spears Files Trademark for New Jewelry LineThe pop icon is one step closer to launching her “B Tiny” jewelry collection, a collection she first began posting about last fall.
Brought to you by
Clienteling Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s an Essential Business Model.More shoppers are walking out without buying. Here’s how smart jewelers can bring them back—and the tool they need to do it right.
Supplier BulletinMay 29, 2025
Inoveo Platinum Grain, Exclusively Distributed by StullerSponsored by Stuller
Weekly QuizMay 30, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
SourcingMay 29, 2025
Grizzly Auctions 6,620-Carat EmeraldIt was featured in the miner’s latest sale, which brought in $24.8 million.
TechnologyMay 29, 2025
GemFind Launches AI Product Description SoftwareGemText AI uses artificial intelligence to generate tailored product titles, descriptions, and tags with jewelry-specific language.
Brought to you by
Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show: Showcasing the Most Collectible Merchandise from Across the GlobeGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
MajorsMay 28, 2025
Graff Unveils New Las Vegas FlagshipThe 3,300-square foot location is the jeweler's largest store in North America.
CrimeMay 28, 2025
8 Convicted in Kim Kardashian Jewelry Heist TrialAging and with myriad health issues, none will serve time for their roles in robbing the billionaire celebrity at gunpoint in 2016.
CollectionsMay 28, 2025
NY Liberty’s 2024 Championship Rings Honor Historic WinThe WNBA team received rings imbued with meaning, from leaf motifs and its Liberty torch to the number of diamonds used.
MajorsMay 28, 2025
Andrew Rickard Named JBT PresidentA longtime executive at RDI Diamonds, Rickard has served on the JBT board for the past five years.
MajorsMay 27, 2025
MJSA to Become Part of Jewelers of America The two organizations have signed an affiliation agreement that’s expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
AuctionsMay 27, 2025
Al Capone’s Patek Philippe Pocket Watch Back Up for AuctionThe platinum and diamond watch is part of Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches sale.
AuctionsMay 27, 2025
182-Carat Paraíba-Type Tourmaline Sells for $487K Recovered in Mozambique, “The Kat Florence Lumina” was part of Bonhams’ Hong Kong jewelry auction held last week.
TrendsMay 27, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: Candy-Colored GemstonesGet a taste of the delicious candy-like gemstones in this Amanda’s Style File.
CrimeMay 23, 2025
JSA Shares Holiday Weekend Security Tips Amid Spike in BurglariesJSA’s Scott Guginsky provided a list of nine security measures jewelers should observe while locking up for the long weekend.
CollectionsMay 23, 2025
Piece of the Week: Bliss Lau’s ‘Bright’ RingFrom Lau’s “Love of a Kind” series, the engagement ring was inspired by the moon and holds a different meaning depending on how it is worn.
GradingMay 23, 2025
GIA Updates Pearl Classification SystemThe lab has adjusted the scale it uses for nacre grading.
Supplier BulletinMay 22, 2025
How to Put Natural Diamonds Back in the SpotlightSponsored by GCAL by Sarine
CrimeMay 22, 2025
NY Jeweler Sentenced in Shoving Death of Colleague at IJO ShowDavid Walton will serve three years’ probation after an incident in a hotel bar led to the death of West Virginia jeweler David Ettinger.
FinancialsMay 22, 2025
Watches of Switzerland’s Full-Year U.S. Sales Climb 14% The retailer also provided an update on how the tariffs situation in the U.S. is affecting its business.
IndependentsMay 22, 2025
Adeler Jewelers Celebrates 50 YearsThe family-owned jeweler in Great Falls, Virginia, will be celebrating its golden jubilee with a year’s worth of events.
Events & AwardsMay 22, 2025
Jose Hess Design Awards Announce JudgesThe nonprofit elected five judges who will decide the winners of its design competition.
MajorsMay 22, 2025
MJSA Releases 2025-2026 Buyer’s GuideThis year’s edition includes articles on the favorite tools of notable designers, evaluating when to outsource production, and more.
CollectionsMay 21, 2025
Bulgari Highlights Its Colorful Past in Phenomenal ‘Polychroma’ CollectionThe jeweler’s high jewelry collection features extraordinary gemstones, like a 241.06-carat emerald and the world’s fourth-largest spinel.
ColumnistsMay 21, 2025
Edahn’s Take: Analyzing the 2025 ‘$100 Million Supersellers’ List In a special column for the State of the Majors, Edahn Golan breaks down what the top-performing fine jewelry sellers are doing right.
