Zimbabwe's Mines Ministry has apparently advised several of the major companies mining diamonds in the country's controversial Marange field not to respond to requests for information by the parliamentary committee probing the field's operations, Voice of America reported.

According to the report, Canadile Miners and Mbada Holdings, two of the diamond miners approached, have refused to answer the committee's questions on their operations in Marange, and Mbada's attempted January auction of 300,000 carats of diamonds harvested from the area, a sale later cancelled by the government.

Mines Committee member Moses Mare told the website that he and his colleagues were frustrated by Mines Minister Obert Mpofu's continued lack of cooperation with the inquest, adding that the committee intends on issuing official summonses if company directors and ministry officials fail appear at the next committee meeting.