Maravi

"Resource Exploitation Watch Trust (REWT) is a pan African civic society carrying oversight on the Marange Diamond mining activities pursuant to the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) Kinshasa Agreement.

REWT notes with dismay contents of the Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) report entitled Reap What You Sow: Greed and Corruption in Zimbabwe’s Marange Diamond Fields.

We disagree with the report on the following grounds:

# The civic society oversight in Marange diamond fields is to be carried by local Zimbabwean Civic Society Organisations (CSO) as directed by the KP Kinshasa agreement. PAC as an external and foreign organisation is excluded to undertake oversight in the Marange diamond fields. Further, PAC has no intimate knowledge of the goings on in Marange. If PAC was sincere in its efforts, it should have submitted the report to the KP Chair so that the allegations, which fall with realm of KP mandate, be interrogated.

The report is pregnant with serious and malicious falsehoods. We pick the following as an example:

# No evidence was provided to prove that President Robert Mugabe's government deployed helicopter gunships to masaccre 200 villagers in Marange. Names of victims were not mentioned.

# Farai Mutamangira was not appointed Chief Executive of Hwange Colliery. In fact the mine is looking for a new CEO after the departure of Freddy Moyo.

# The link between the death of the respected businessman, Allan Banks, and illegal diamond trade without disclosing the full details of the transactions he allegedly made is unfair and insensitive to the family of the slain businessman.

# The implication of Mozambican authorities in the alleged diamond laundering without affording them right of reply is grossly mischievous and disdainful.

# The allegations of money laundering by players in China, Dubai, India and UAE without supporting banking records is indicative of deep hatred of non-white actors in the diamond industry by the Canadians.

# There is no precise breakdown of the alleged US$2 billion diamond sales which were looted by the Mugabe government showing the actual buyers, bank accounts used or caratage bought by each individual buyer.

The report pre-supposes that Mines Minisrer Obert Mpofu was a pauper prior to his appointment as Minister of Mines and Mining Development in 2009. A quick cross-check of his alleged wealth as cointained in the report will show the following:

# Umguza Block, 10,060 hectares, formerly owned by Cold Storage Commission (CSC) specifically known as blocks 39, 40 and 41: Documents at hand prove that the farm is, in fact, Auchenburg blocks 3A, 3B, 6, 6A, 7A, 7B measuring 4,214 ha and is owned by the CSC which is leasing it to the minister for US$5,028 in an agreement that was signed by CSC chief executive officer Mr. Ngoni Chinogaramombe.

# 1,027ha Auchenburg Farm, Nyamandlovu: This is actually a piece of land that was bought by prominent businessman Mr. Golden Ndlovu for Z$80 million in 2001.

# Green Haven Farm located close to Umguza River: This is not a farm but a business centre which Dr Mpofu bought in 1987 and sold to another businessman in 1995. It has since been sold to the Marima family.

# 3,700ha Umguza CSC Block and Young Farm Nyamandlovu: This is a repetition of Auchenburg Farm, which is generally referred to as "koYoung" as it was once owned by a Mr. Young.

# 8,000ha Horseshoe Ranch in Matetsi: This is a 4,000ha conservancy, which Dr Mpofu acquired through the land reform programme in 2000.

# 100ha in Epping Forest B Section known as Mswelangubo Farm: This is an inaccurate repetition of Auchenburg Farm which is now known as Mswelangubo Farm.

# Block 4,000ha: Yet another repetition of Auchenburg.

# Anchor House, 12th Avenue and Fort Street, costing between US$1 million and $2 million in Bulawayo's depressed market: This building is actually owned by the Zimbabwe Open University which is operating from the premises. The university bought the building in 2011 from Fort Investments for US$850,000.

# A dilapidated two-storey office block at the corner of Fife Street and Fourth Avenue: Dr Mpofu bought the building in question in 1996.

# Bought York House for a song in 2007 during an economic depression: Dr Mpofu bought York House through a mortgage facility in 1998. He made his last payment in 2002.

# A house in Magpie Road in Bulawayo: This is Dr Mpofu's residence, which he bought in 1994.

# Livingstone Road offices: Dr Mpofu bought these premises from a Martha Mtisi in 2004.

# Volvo trucks which retail at US$100,000: These are recently acquired trucks that were manufactured in 2004 and are selling at around US$10,000 in the United Kingdom.

# The report was funded by the Irish Aid which is wholy funded by the Irish government to further its foreign policy interests. The Irish government’s stance is known to be hostile and for regime change in Zimbabwe.

# By its own admission, the report heavily realied on press reports mostly from hostile media and this shows regurtation of unfounded news articles which were previously published across the world. Infact, the report resembles similarities with the previous reports on Zimbabwe’s Marande diamond fields.

# The timing of the release of report with the opening of the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference shows typical high school activism bent on thwarting Zimbabwe's attempts to engage the international community on the diamond trade."

Tafadzwa Musarara
CHAIRMAN