The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Zimbabwe has called for the cancellation of all mining contracts and grants given to companies operating in the controversial Marange’s Chiadzwa diamond fields, Zim Eye reported.

It is believed that gross human rights abuses are being perpetrated during Chiadzwa diamond mining.

Harare's Minister of Finance and MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti told the website that the party would like to see all mining operations in Chiadzwa stopped until a clear law on diamond mining is established.

“We as the MDC party national executive having set on the 5th of March resolved that all contracts that were given to mining companies in Chiadzwa, special grants, licenses and privileges must be cancelled forthwith in the interest of openness."

Last month, Supreme Court Judge Godfrey Chidyausiku ordered the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe to cease operations in the controversial filed, which legally belongs to the UK based mining firm Africa Consolidated Resources (ACR).

ACR, which holds the legal title to the diamond claim in Chiadzwa was evicted at gunpoint from the claim in 2006; a move that a High Court judge last year ruled was illegal, also ordering more than 129,000 carats of diamonds to placed in Zimbabwe's central bank for safe keeping pending the results of the legal deliberations.