Death in Chiadzwa: Snippets of the New Scramble for Africa in Zimbabwe

Abstract

After the scramble that saw Africa colonized by western powers in the mid 19^th century, Africa is experiencing yet another violent scramble in the 21^st century. The new development is through a mineral rush that has provided a new frontier for fresh dispossessions, violence and violations of human rights. In Zimbabwe, following the discovery of the Marange diamonds of Chiadzwa in 2006, violence erupted in 2008 leading to the maiming and killing of people. The violated were labeled illegal miners who were trying to benefit from the diamond rush. This paper seeks to give an account of the killings of miners that went on in Chiadzwa during the phase that saw individuals drifting to Chiadzwa to benefit from the national cake. Through interviews of eye witnesses, desktop research and reading of primary and secondary sources, this paper shall trace the beginning of the Chiadzwa diamond rush in Zimbabwe from 2006 documenting the violation of human rights that took place in those years of the Zimbabwean crisis. The major findings are that people were killed by assigned guards and buried secretly in mass graves.