via Chinamasa seeks Marange accountability 02/03/2014 by SABC
ZIMBABWE has announced plans to reduce the number of diamond mining companies operating in the country, a move it says will ensure supervision and accountability.
On Friday, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said that monitoring the seven operations has been difficult and that government would soon restructure and consolidate the industry to narrow the number of mines.
His announcement comes amidst a planned total overhaul of the mining sector which authorities say will add value to minerals before they leave the countries. The private sector has welcomed the move.
Announcing a blueprint for greater accountability in a sector that has been accused of gray activities, Chinamasa said that they want to know the production levels. “We want to know the prices the diamonds are disposed of, we want to know the customers.”
According to the government, diamonds contributed less than $200 million to the fiscus last year, amidst claims by Global Witness, an Independent monitor that $2 billion worth of gems is being looted since extraction began in 2006.
Government is pushing for more value addition industries to ensure the minerals leave with higher value. However restructuring the minerals sector will cost a lot of money. The money that the 13 billion economy will have to find offshore.
With poor credit record, blacklisted by World Bank and IMF, Chinamasa says he has had little success even in neighbouring South Africa.
“You have no reason to lump us with the country risk premium when you know how politically stable we are. So there is some discrimination there. They lend to SA companies at very low interest rates and they lend to us almost at punitive interest rates.”
Authorities have found allies, miners have pledged their commitment to fulfilling government’s demands to add value to products locally but they say modalities need to be worked out first.
“This two day discussion points to the need of continued engagement. This is to demonstrate our seriousness in this matter. We are part of the mining team Zimbabwe to develop our country and our region,” Managing Director of Aquarius Platinum, Winston Chitando Mimosa says.
Vision is controversial in global circles but it’s a message that is finding resonance among the millions of Zimbabweans who live on some of the most mineral rich soils in the world but are still waiting to that wealth reflected in their lives.
COMMENTS
Idiots! How can you think of controls after all the diamonds have already been stolen by the chefs and our new colonisers, China.
Bit late
Of course you allow disorder and confusion in order to be able to loot first and then pretend to put order when the GAME is over. That’s Africa for you comrades.
The bad joke that is Bob’s Zimbabwe continues….
Its too late kuyeuka bako manaiwa
1) Its not going to change anything.
2) You are not going to carry out this, its beyond you.
3) You are part of the thieving buggers anyway.
I thought the companies in Marange have said they have finished all the diamonds there and they want new concessions. I think the minister want accountability in Marange (no more diamonds) and will not have the same accountability in the new concessions.
Where have you been zanu pf? You have been in power uninterrupted 34 years. Who has taught you that new word,”accountability”? Way too late. There is nothing to account for!!!
Gukurahundis never cared for accountability at Marange during the GNU, why are they demanding it now?
They spoiled to companies in Marange, encouraging their corruption now they are changing tack – who will listen?
They have to tell us now, where the got the money for the July 2013 elections. This is money that sprang up from nowhere, which Chinamasa suddenly produced, yet he was not the finance Minister, where did it come from?
Country risk premium because Zimbabwe is almost the most corrupt country in the world (Transparency International)
Country risk premium because ZANUPF are murderers (GAKURAHUNDI, MDC members, white farmers), thieves (everywhere you look eg Marange) and thugs (broken MDC heads eg Tsvangirai)
you a bad risk chino, period….
Again Chinamassa closes the stable door after the horse has bolted, or should I say the donkey has bolted. You found real live people living in this area. You evicted them and installed the Chinese. This will come back to bite you. When you least expect it the reckoning will catch up with all of you. Charles Taylor, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin just to name a few thought they were untouchable. Where are they now? Those that eat with this dictatorship will sink with it.
Where did the money for the July 2013 elections come from? Stop lying about accountability; where did the money come from?
This is the problem with us,we think mineral resources will last forever which is not true.Mr Chitando you are fooling yourself because these resources are not replaceable,therefore what has been looted cannot be replaced to benefit the poor masses.
The Chinese are very clever to use cheap methods of mining to loot quickly and go somewhere else.We lost a golden opportunity to improve our economy with easy to mine alluvial diamond which God had exposed to the nation but foolishly the looters diverted that to their personal gains with total impunity.
I like the way @MTHWAKAZI comments about the people in the East of our country.They worship our leaders instead of respecting them.In the past these people have killed the population of the poor pangolins in Mashonaland in the process of leadership appraisal and worship.Once you do that you make these leaders too complacent and rude.
When the Chinese were constructing the rail network in Botswana a lot of peoples pets went missing. During that time the Chinese workers were approached by the Botswana authorities and it was explained that they had to respect that in Botswana..etc..etc..etc. In Zimbabwe this was not done hence the story about the tortoise shells discovered near a Chinese site. The same thing happened with the Diamonds. They were given free access and were able to do what they wanted. All they done was to chop down the tree to access the fruit.
Chinamasa used to accuse Biti for hiding diamonds money. Suddenly talks the same accountability which Biti wad demanding. Hypocrites
Nonsense, there has been corruption and looting in Marange all these years not because there were too many companies operating there but because there was no political will to stop the looting! This a typical Zanu PF move; for years they deny there is no corruption and when the finally admit there is problem they address a problem that is not even there. Chinamasa is rearranging the deck chairs on the sinking Titanic!
Mthwakazi
I know Winston Chitando (from Masvingo) when we both worked for Wankie Colleiry Company. He has no backbone and just dances to the politically powerful even if his common sense (and intelligence) tells him otherwise.