By Staff Reporter
HARARE – The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has condemned the death of a 66-year-old artisanal miner, Tafadzwa Chamatumba, who allegedly died after being assaulted while in custody at Mashukashuka base in the Chiadzwa diamond fields on 7 February 2025.
In a press statement issued on 11 February 2026, the Harare-based research and advocacy organisation described the incident as part of a “long-standing and deeply troubling pattern of violence, abuse and intimidation” against artisanal miners operating in Marange.
CNRG said a police memorandum dated 8 February 2026 points to excessive use of force, torture and disregard for human dignity in the handling of Chamatumba’s case. The organisation alleged that the continued military presence in the diamond fields has normalised violence and impunity, particularly against impoverished miners who are often criminalised rather than formally integrated into the mining sector.
The watchdog group expressed solidarity with members of the Marange community who are reportedly protesting the incident and called on government to de-escalate tensions in the area.
“The killing underscores structural failures in diamond governance in Zimbabwe, and the urgent need to confront the nexus between militarisation, extractive interests and human rights abuses,” CNRG said.
The organisation renewed its longstanding call for the demilitarisation of the Marange diamond fields, arguing that policing of mining areas should be civilian, accountable and grounded in human rights standards rather than military-style operations under what it referred to as Operation Hakudzokwi.
CNRG also demanded an independent and transparent investigation into Chamatumba’s death, with prosecutions for any individuals found responsible, “regardless of rank or affiliation.”
The group further urged government to recognise and protect the rights and livelihoods of artisanal and small-scale miners through inclusive formalisation models instead of what it described as repressive tactics.
In addition, CNRG called for reform of the Kimberley Process (KP), the global diamond certification scheme, arguing that its narrow definition of “conflict diamonds,” limited to stones linked to rebel movements, excludes systematic human rights abuses allegedly committed by state and private security actors.
The organisation reminded authorities that Zimbabwe had committed in November 2008, under a Joint Work Plan agreed with the Kimberley Process, to a phased withdrawal of the army from Marange. It said the continued deployment of military forces contradicts that undertaking.
There was no immediate comment from government or security authorities regarding the allegations at the time of publication.
