Forty families still living in Zimbabwe's Chiadzwa diamond field region are refusing to relocate until they receive $50,000 in compensation per family, the Voice of the People reports.

According to Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT) Chairman Malvern Mudiwa, CCDT has been negotiating with the government and the diamond mining companies in Chiadzwa to secure full compensation for the families forced out of their village homes to accommodate mining operations.

Mudiwa said the compensation money would be used to buy shares in the diamond mining companies to ensure that the local population benefits from the industry.

Another issue that must be addressed before the families decamp is the question of family graves. "Graves are not going to be spared," Mudiwa said. "[The families] want their relatives to be given a decent re-burial."

Diamond industry activist Farai Maguwu said that the villagers' demand of $50,000 per family was both justified and in line with the UN's minimum standards for relocation, which call for compensation in situations that disrupt normal life and "violate cultural values."