The Centre for Research and Development (CRD) said the absence of a local KP monitor has resulted in rampant corruption at Chiadzwa where the two mining firms engaged to exploit the resources are accused of airlifting diamonds without monitoring by the Mineral Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), police or any other authority in the country. Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Miners are the two firms mining diamond at Chiadzwa in joint ventures with the government-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.
The two firms airlifting of diamonds from Chiadzwa also known as Marange diamond field — without anyone monitoring is in clear violation of KP calls for maximum transparency at the notorious diamond field. The CRD also alleged that directors at Mbada fled the country with two boxes containing diamonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars. ?On one particular day, the two directors loaded the boxes into the helicopter and fled with the precious stones, CRD said in a statement from Harare, citing unnamed sources who claimed that the two were acting in collaboration with some very senior government officials. There is no way the scam could have succeeded without the cooperation of some powerful individuals within government. Further, no police report was filed about the theft, the organization said. ?
It raised concern that soldiers continue to mine diamonds and commit gross human rights violations in and around Chiadzwa. The group cited as an example one incident when soldiers allegedly, ran amok, beating everyone on sight with logs and gun butts after prospective diamond buyers would not meet their asking prices. Soldiers have reportedly raided beer halls and shops, seizing women and detaining them for one to two days, using them as sex slaves. Both police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena and Mines Minister Obert Mpofu were not immediately available for comment on the matter.
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