Zimbabweans want diamond money to go to civil servants, education, health
in [Physics]
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From: as on 13 Aug 2010 04:52 Zimbabweans want diamond money to go to civil servants, education, health http://www.kubatanablogs.net/kubatana/?p=3539 Zimbabwe auctioned about 900,000 carats of diamonds, worth more than $72 million from the controversial Marange / Chiadzwa diamond fields yesterday. According to Mining Minister Obert Mpofu, the 4.5 million carats of diamonds currently in Zimbabwe's stocks could sell for up to $1.7 billion - over half Zimbabwe's annual budget. In fact, according to the mid-year fiscal policy review by the Minister of Finance, Zimbabwe's expenditure from January to June 2010 was US$813.4 million - so that estimated $1.7 billion would cover the whole year's expenditure. But there are fears that ordinary Zimbabweans won't benefit from the country's diamond wealth, and that the violence and corruption which have characterised the Marange fields since diamonds were discovered there will continue. What do Zimbabweans want to see the country's diamond revenue spent on? Civil servants, education, health, and job creation primarily. |