Diamond proceeds to go directly to the fiscus: Minister | The Herald March 2, 2016
Fidelis Munyoro Chief Reporter
The formation of the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company will see the proceeds from the sale of diamonds going directly to the fiscus, for appropriate allocation to the various Government ministries for the benefit of the people, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa, also denied reports from some sections of the media claiming that there was looting of diamonds in Chiadzwa.
He said Government took a bold decision to take over diamond mining in Chiadzwa, after realising that it was not benefiting from the companies it had granted concessions to mine the precious metal.
“We must create the systems and these systems do not happen of their own accord, they happen because people deliberately and purposefully take positions, some positions which may be hard to swallow,” said Minister Chidhakwa in an interview with ZiFM last night.
“When you sit in your job and make a decision, if you are making an easy decision that makes you a good boy everyday, you must ask yourself whether you are doing the right thing. When you start making hard decision that make other people unhappy but make the entire nation happy then I think we are being serious.”
Minister Chidhakwa said the decision his ministry made on consolidating diamonds companies into a single entity had been lauded by many people.
This, he said, did not go down well with some people who were benefiting from the country’s gems at the expense of the nation.
“There is no reason why this country is not able to produce enough food because we have dams but we do not have irrigation systems,” he said.
“There is no reason why the people of Marange, the people of Chiadzwa themselves should not have an irrigation system that can enable them to produce agricultural commodities for themselves because the diamonds are now used for national respo- nsibilities.”
Minister Chidhakwa denied reports of looting in Chiadzwa and explained the level of security in the diamond area.
“There is a bigger perimeter and the level of security is not as tight as where the diamonds are being picked,” he explained.
“That is called the red zone. The access to that zone is what we have said in this intervening period, nobody gets to the red zone.”
The minister said police were nowhere near the red zone, but were guarding the entire processing and concession areas ensuring that nobody tampers with anything in all these areas.
“There is no looting and systems are not collapsing in Chiadzwa. There are people who are disappointed by the minister’s move and naturally they will find ways of denigrating the process.”
Minister Chidhakwa assured the nation that Government would do the best it can to ensure that the proceeds from the sale of diamonds benefit Zimbabweans and does not disappear out of the confines of this country.
“I also want to tell Zimbabweans that we are very determined and committed to doing this. It is the one thing, which I think if we can do, will contribute immensely to the development of this country,” he said.
COMMENTS
Why is it that Zimbabweans always sit back while the chefs get everything. ?
I’ve asked before, and I ask again. Who the hell is this Chidhakwa guy. One without any political clout nor history to be given such a strategic ministry? Vamwe vanoti muzukuru wasekuru, vamwe vachiti akabva nekuna mbuya. The way he is bulldozing the ministry shows that he is in there to loot big time. The other time he fired the whole top management of MMCZ. Now he has closed the biggest single investment sector in the past ten years, why? In fact he has been childishly, been telling all and sundry at MMCZ that he wants to fire everyone and start recruiting afresh. We all know what it means isn’t it. Veropa veropa, nepostism. They started from Board members now they want to even fill from the cleaning ladies. Cry My Beloved Country.
The chefs were not getting enough so now this is their plan to get it all and they want it quickly as even they can see the end is in sight – Simple – Rise Zimbabwe for Gods sake Rise……….
“Minister Chidhakwa assured the nation that Government would do the best it can to ensure that the proceeds from the sale of diamonds benefit Zimbabweans and does not disappear out of the confines of this country”….. Will do the best it can! Really? What defeatism from the harbinger of the final solution to diamond lootery.
Sure Sherlock……..they should have ensured that the proceeds went to the benefit of the country FROM THE DAY THEY STARTED DIGGING THE B….RS OUT OF THE GROUND. YES?
Exactly @Doris. This should have happened from day 1 not 10 years later when the resource is almost depleted.
This is never the way to run any business mines included. Is sure out a proper international tender and let the best miner do the job. The govt and country will benefit through royalties, corporate taxes, income tax, individual salaries etc. Thats how it is done all over the world- vest practice. Where did the govt get the expertise to run any business? The parastatels have failed. Zmdc was part of the failure at chiyadzwa- honestly what’s new? It’s sad that we will see the minister fail-again.
“Diamond proceeds to go directly to the fiscus: Minister?” TRUE or FALSE? and commencing when and what is the grace period?
Grace Period = Looting period