Maputo — Diamonds smuggled out of Zimbabwe are being illegally sold on the Mozambican side of the border, in Manica town, according to the administrator of Manica district, Jose Tefula, cited by Radio Mozambique.

Zimbabwe's diamond deposits are nearby, in the Zimbabwean province of Manicaland. They have attracted a large number of foreigners, notably from Nigeria, Somalia and the Great Lakes region, some of whom are renting rooms in Manica.

Manica district has an overwhelmingly peasant population - but in recent months some people here have acquired substantial wealth, judging by the number of luxury four wheel drive vehicles on the roads.

This is attributed to the illicit trade in diamonds, which are believed to come from the Marangue region in Manicaland. The diamonds are sold in Manica at night, and the price mentioned by the radio report is 1,350 meticais (about 50 US dollars) per gram.

The immigration authorities in Machipanda, the main border post with Zimbabwe, have announced the seizure of rather more than half a kilo of Zimbabwean diamonds.

"We seized some grams from people who were trying to cross the border with the diamonds in their genitals", said the head of the Machipanda post, Alberto Limeme, cited in a report from the Portuguese news agency, LUSA. "But it's difficult to fight this smuggling on the border, if there isn't tight control in the mines".

By Staff reporter and agencies