The United States of America has added a couple more mining companies from Zimbabwe to its sanctions list. The Department of the Treasury stated that Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources had been placed on its list of sanctioned entities on Monday.
Both the companies operate diamond mines in the controversial Marange fields in Zimbabwe. The aliases that they operate under including Block Wood Mining and Condurango Investments have also been placed on the sanctions list.
The announcement comes after the Kimberly Process allowed Zimbabwe to export diamonds from the Marange fields. Both the companies operate as a joint venture with the state owed mining firm the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC). The ZMDC is also on the sanctions list.
Farai Maguwu, a diamond activist said that the decision would blow a hole in government finances, adding that the decision showed that the U.S. did not support the Kimberley decision to allow the sale of Marange stones in the first place.
Supa Mandiwanzira, a former Affirmative Action Group president had earlier accused the US of duplicity in obtaining Harare’s backing to assume the chair of the Kimberley Process next year in a meeting that gave the two companies the green light to sell their stones internationally.