27
Two months later, Zim Online reported that diamonds from Chiadzwa had been airlifted to Harare
without monitoring by the Mineral Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), police or any other
authority in the country, in what appeared a clear violation of KP calls for maximum transparency. 109
“Acting head of marketing at the MMCZ …. Masimba Chandavengerwa, told Parliament's mines and
energy committee that although his organisation evaluates and monitors the diamonds, it has not
been represented when the gems are airlifted from Mutare to Harare,” Zim Online noted. 110
According to the report, when ZANU PF legislator Simbaneuta Mudarikwa asked if the MMCZ was
aware of the airlifting of diamonds from Chiadzwa, Chandavengerwa stunned the committee [by]
saying: "At the moment, [the airlifting is being done] without our knowledge." 111
“The MMCZ acting boss also conceded that handling of diamonds at Chiadzwa ….still fell short of KP
standards - two months after Harare promised to act to review operations at the diamond field to
ensure compliance with the requirements [of the KP].”
15 BEYOND REASONABLE GREED – MASS SCALE CORRUPTION AND SMUGGLING
“A mine is a hole in the ground with a fool at the bottom and a liar at the top.”
Attributed to Mark Twain
“Every day millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds leave Zimbabwe from the world’s richest diamond
field. But none of that money reaches the country’s desperate poor. Who are the men plundering a
nation’s future?” This is the question posed by the Sunday Times (UK) in an article titled “Robert
Mugabe’s dirty diamonds”, dated April 4, 2010. 112
In 2006, the Sunday Times wrote, Marange was being mined by hand [which is known to be slow,
tedious and dangerous work]. “Now that President Mugabe’s inner circle has seized the field, stateof-the-art machinery extracts thousands of carats an hour,” continued the Sunday Times. 113
After African Consolidated Resources (ACR) had been evicted from the diamond fields at the close of
2006, there was an initial uncontrollable free-for-all. Diamonds were smuggled out via Mozambique
and South Africa, then shipped to Europe, India and the Middle East for cutting and polishing.
109
Zim Online, ‘No one monitoring airlifting of Chiadzwa diamonds’, 2 February 2010:
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=5663
110
Zim Online, ‘No one monitoring airlifting of Chiadzwa diamonds’, 2 February 2010:
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=5663
111
Zim Online, ‘No one monitoring airlifting of Chiadzwa diamonds’, 2 February 2010:
http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=5663
112
Sunday Times (UK), ‘Robert Mugabe’s dirty diamonds’, 4 April 2010:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7084367.ece
113
Sunday Times (UK), ‘Robert Mugabe’s dirty diamonds’, 4 April 2010:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7084367.ece
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