Farai Maguwu, who heads the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) in Zimbabwes eastern border city of Mutare said he was followed around by unknown people whom he suspected to be agents of the governments Central Intelligence Orgnaisation.
“My presence (did) not gone down well with the regime, Magawu said, adding; There are powerful people making money out of diamonds (and) they would want me silenced.
Ironically the KP meeting held in the Namibian coastal city of Swakopmund agreed not to suspend Zimbabwe from the world diamond market, ignoring recommendations by its own experts who visited Zimbabwe at the end of June and recommend a ban on diamonds from the country because of human rights violations committed by the army at the Marange diamond field.
The CRD has been compiling evidence of heinous killings, torture, beatings, rape, kidnapping and kleptocracy by members of Mugabes inner circle since Harare ejected a British firm, Africa Consolidated Resources (ACR) from the diamond fields in 2006 to pave way for the state-run Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
Thousands of illegal diamond miners and dealers soon descended on Marange to mine and sell the precious stones that at the height of the diamond rush were being sold to traders coming from all over the world including Israel, Lebanon and Guyana.
The lawlessness on the diamond fields that Zimbabwes central bank estimates has led to the country losing US$1,2 billion per month in potential revenue from the precious metal, resulted in Mugabes government sending soldiers and police to Marange to flush out the illegal miners, dealers and traders.
But human rights groups and the KP review mission say police and soldiers used excessive and brutal force to take control of the diamond field and that the security forces have themselves taken over smuggling of diamonds from Marange.
Post published in: News