24 Zimbabwe’s Sunday Standard wrote on April 24, 2011 that the government had said the KP Monitor, Abbey Chikane, no longer had a role to play [in Zimbabwe] “since the country has complied with the international body’s provisions to sell the Marange diamonds”. 94 The following day, VOA News announced that India’s Revenue Intelligence Directorate had arrested two Indian nationals for smuggling an estimated US$2 million worth of diamonds from Marange into the city of Surat the previous week. They had failed to produce the required Kimberley Process certificate and had been caught trying to sell the gems. 95 In response, the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) demanded the resignation of Mines Minister Obert Mpofu due to the Ministry’s failure to ensure the security and transparency of the country’s diamond trade. The CRD statement said this was “prejudicing the government of revenue that could make a difference in the lives of the suffering Zimbabwean people…” 96 By May 2, Minister Obert Mpofu was said to be fighting for his political life as a result of the latest smuggling scandal. The previous year, Core Mining director Lovemore Kurotwi had allegedly accused Mpofu of asking for a US$10 million bribe for mining favours. Although Kurotwi was arrested soon afterwards, President Mugabe did not take action against Mpofu. 97 The web of intrigue intensified on May 9 when it was reported that Sino-Zimbabwe had laid off most of its workers in Chiadzwa “amid concerns that its mining claims in the diamond mining area may not have meaningful resources to operate a viable mine”, which would “justify huge investment”. 98 The article noted that two companies, Marange Resources and Mbada, were already exporting. “Anjin”, it said, “has so far extracted over a million carats of rough diamonds and now awaits the Kimberley Process certification to start exporting.” The journalist said Zimbabwe had so far exported diamonds worth about US$174 million under the KPCS. 99 94 Zimbabwe Standard, ‘No need for KP Monitor – Mpofu’, 24 April 2011: http://www.thestandard.co.zw/business/29406-no-need-for-kp-monitor--mpofu.html 95 VOA News, ‘India arrests two found in possession of smuggled Zimbabwean diamonds’, 25 April 2011: http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/India-Arrests-Two-Found-With-Smuggled-ZimbabweanDiamonds-120641529.html 96 Zimbabwe Metro, ‘Mines Minister Obert Mpofu must hand in resignation’, 29 April 2011: http://www.zimbabwemetro.com/opinion/mines-minister-obert-mpofu-must-hand-in-his-resignation/ 97 Daily News, ‘Mpofu must go’, 2 May 2011: http://dailynews.co.zw/index.php/news/53-top-story/2323-mpofu-must-go.html 98 New Zimbabwe, ‘No diamonds in Marange, Chinese firm shuts down’, 9 May 2011: http://newsdzezimbabwe.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/no-diamonds-in-marange-chinese-firm-shuts-down/ 99 New Zimbabwe, ‘No diamonds in Marange, Chinese firm shuts down’, 9 May 2011: http://newsdzezimbabwe.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/no-diamonds-in-marange-chinese-firm-shuts-down/