Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Bennett threatens CAMEC and other investors

COMMENT - Now their hypocrisy and self serving arguments have peaked. The MDC was supposedly standing for the defense of 'property rights' - the right of a minority to the stolen land of the people of Zimbabwe, of course. Now, he wants to undo agreements between the state and private companies? And of course, I don't mind undoing any deal that does not benefit the government and the people, but I am not running on a ticket of 'restoring property rights'.

And receiving money from the donor community is a critism of Simba Makoni? Perhaps Roy Bennett wants to publish the financial records of the MDC, just so we can all see where their money comes from? Let's see how much of the $26 million from ZDERA went directly to the MDC.


Bennett threatens CAMEC and other investors
Floyd Nkomo
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Roy Bennett the white Zimbabwean former opposition lawmaker and farmer who was jailed for shoving a minister to the ground during a parliament debate stands with with his wife Heather after he was released from jail in 2005. Bennett now lives in South Africa where he was granted asylum. He is the current MDC party's financier and treasurer.

THE opposition Movement for Democratic Change party’s treasurer said he will undo a deal signed by a leading copper and cobalt mining company and the government of Zimbabwe if the MDC ever gets into power, and asked other companies who have signed such deals to suspend operations in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwean government and Central African Mining and Exploration (Camec) struck a deal over a new platinum mine. Part of the mine was previously held by Anglo Platinum as part of its Unki Platinum project, but was surrendered to the Zimbabwe government in terms of the country’s newly introduced indigenization legislation.

When the MDC gets into power in Zimbabwe, “any deal done under the kind of circumstances surrounding the Camec acquisition of those mineral rights will be not be honoured and will be undone,” said Bennett in an interview with Miningmx.

Bennett also said that current negotiations in Zimbabwe will end in the MDC assuming total control in the country. He said that he was confident the MDC will come to power in Zimbabwe. “What is underway now are negotiations leading to a transitional government. That, in turn, will lead to free and fair elections which will confirm the position of the MDC as the elected government.”

The controversial treasurer, who has previously admitted that the MDC had deliberately created the economic problems in Zimbabwe in order to remove President Mugabe, said that the MDC will also consider confiscation of assets.

Bennett also urged Anglo-American to put all their planned investment and/or operations ”on hold” until a new MDC government is in place.

Bennett who is well known for being very vocal has been against talks insisting that the people of Zimbabwe prefer Morgan Tsvangirai as their leader. Prior to the March 29 harmonised election, Bennett criticised the entry of Professor Arthur Mutambara onto the political scene saying: “How and where in the world does someone parachute into a Presidential position never having addressed a branch meeting in the rural areas?”

He also criticised former finance minister and presidential candidate, Dr. Simba Makoni and accussed him of receiving money from the donor community to run his campaign. “And right now as we watch Simba Makoni… walking with three people from his house into a room and making press statements. He tells us he is not alone, we’ve seen nobody else come up and stand next to him,” he said of Dr. Makoni at the time.

Camec Managing Director could not be intimidated by Bennett. In response, Camec MD Andrew Groves replied: “Assuming the MDC gets into power then let them try. That deal was done in accordance with all the laws of Zimbabwe. The US$100m loan provided was used to pay off Zimbabwe’s external creditors.”

“They will find the deal very difficult to undo and we will take the issue to international arbitration if necessary. This kind of thing was tried on us before in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Miningmx quoted Groves as saying.

Camec has already started work on the mine. The annual statement to end-March said indicated that work had already started on mine.

The report also indicated that they had already secured the right expatriate some of the profits generated by its mining operations in the country.

CAMEC has been operating in Zimbabwe since 2002 and “plans to become a leading African investment and production Company. The primary resources that CAMEC is currently interested in are tantalite, gold and tin, with a production and buying infrastructure already in place,” said a statement on its website.

CAMEC's operational areas include the DRC, Mozambique, South Africa, Angola, Mali, and Zimbabwe.

Labels: CAMEC, HYPOCRISY, ROY BENNETT, SANCTIONS

posted by MrK @ 2:40 AM