The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani and Abel Zhakata
Employees at the companies running diamond mining concessions in Chiadzwa are stealing precious gems worth millions of dollars and selling them to illegal diamond buyers, thereby bleeding the country dry, The Manica Post has established.
The diamond dealers buy the gems for a song and then smuggle them out of the country.
The diamond leakages, which involve top level management, diamond sorters and security personnel, have seen the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) deploying a team to investigate reported cases in Mutare, Marange and surrounding areas.
The rampant corruption in Chiadzwa has even caught President Mnangagwa’s attention.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch Anjin Diamond Mining Company’s official resumption of operations in Chiadzwa last week on Saturday, the President highlighted Government’s intolerance to corruption.
“As you carry out your operations here, I exhort you to work hard and uphold good corporate governance and shun corruption and unhealthy mining practices.
“We do not tolerate corruption, it doesn’t matter who is doing it — from the executives, managers and general workers, there should be no tolerance on incidents of corruption.
“I am informed that in India there is a place without any diamond mine, yet they have a $5 billion diamond industry. I am told Zimbabwean diamonds contribute a lot to those diamonds. l don’t know how those diamonds get there,” said President Mnangagwa.
Zacc spokesperson, Commissioner John Makamure said the commission will get to the bottom of the illegal activities in Chiadzwa.
Commissioner Makamure revealed that Zacc officials have already arrested some members of a diamond syndicate.
These were taken to court on Saturday and appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhibi, facing charges of possessing articles for criminal use.
The busted syndicate include two locals — Isaac Nhamo and Shadreck Pungurume, two Mozambicans — Zacarias Wilstine and Mamodou Boye, as well as Hassane Kane, a Democratic Republic of Congo national.
Nhamo is employed as a diamond sorter at Anjin.
The court heard that Zacc received a tip-off that the suspects were stealing diamonds from Anjin Diamond Mining Company and offloading them onto the black market.
A raid was done at a house in Greenside, Mutare, resulting in the arrest of the three foreign nationals.
Some diamond scales and cutters were recovered.
Pungurume was then arrested on August 7 at a police roadblock in Wengezi after Zacc officers had received a tip-off that he was conducting illegal diamond mining in Chiadzwa.
Following his arrest, investigators recovered diamond scales, four expired access permits into Chiadzwa diamond fields, US$15 000 and $6 255.
Commissioner Makamure called on members of the public to come forward with information on the diamond syndicates.
“We are calling on anyone with information and evidence to come forward and provide us with details. We have deployed a team to probe the illegal
diamond buying activities and we can only succeed if those in the know also help us. We are therefore calling for maximum corporation from members of the public.
“The people who are stealing the diamonds are well known and members of the public know their errands. Please provide that information so that Zacc can do its part,” said Commissioner Makamure.
The Manica Post has established that those involved in the illegal activities have set up base in Mutare, Manica and Chimoi in Mozambique and are living large as they drive fancy cars and have acquired up-market villas.
Several runners link them up with corrupt Chiadzwa employees or illegal panners.
Investigations conducted by this publication revealed that diamond sorters are mostly involved in this scam.
But an employee at one of the diamond mining companies said managers are also involved in the theft of diamonds.
“The syndicates have become sophisticated and they are involving top level management, the sorters themselves and security. Big diamond parcels are being stolen. Once the parcel is sold, proceeds are shared amongst members of the syndicate,” the employee said on condition of anonymity.
“There are cameras in sorting rooms and so to conceal their illegal activities, the culprits trip power lines and loot in the darkness. By the time back-up generators are powered on and the security system reboots, diamonds would have been stolen,” said the insider.
