via Diamond cash probe: Kasukuwere in no show | The Source May 15, 2014
Former indigenisation minister, Saviour Kasukuwere on Thursday failed to appear before a Parliamentary portfolio committee to explain the controversy surrounding the $10 million pledges allegedly made by diamond mining firms in Marange.
Kasukuwere is alleged to have lied that foreign mining firms had each pledged $10 million to community share ownership trusts to empower the communities in which they operate, but no agreement was signed to that effect.
The issue came to light this year when the committee invited various mining firms to explain why they had not honoured their pledges.
Some firms such as Mbada and Anjin professed ignorance about the existence of such agreements while others said they had only pledged $1,5 million payable over five years.
“The said minister (Kasukuwere), whom we invited, could not come so we apologize for that,” the Committee chairperson, Mayor Wadyajena told journalists, referring further questions to the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda.
Kasukuwere, now the environment and water minister, told The Source that he had not been invited to appear before the committee.
“That’s not true, I didn’t get communication, they didn’t call me. I am not going to be part of that game,” he said before referring more questions to Wadyajena and Mudenda.
Recently, the incumbent indigenisation minister, Francis Nhema told the committee that no binding agreements had been entered into with the mines except a “gentlemen’s agreement.”
“The spirit of the agreement, the spirit of the discussion was that they would pay $10 million. We don’t have pledges written but we have minutes. I believe it’s a gentlemen’s agreement, they were in the meeting, they shook their hands, they should honour their obligation,” said Nhema.
According to a schedule he presented in Parliament last month, 13 mining companies paid a total of $31 million.
Of the companies only platinum miners, Unki and Zimplats paid the full amount of $10 million.
Blanket Mine in Gwanda paid $5 million; Mimosa $4 million; Freda $1 million; Rio Tinto owned Murowa Diamonds, $300,000; Mbada, $200,000 and Marange Resources $200, 000.
COMMENTS
Well he can always claim he did it for ZANU. End of story. The useless parliament. Just a smokescreen.
Kasukuwere used to be such a big man. Nice to see him running into some head wind
He is just a lying murdering thief. There is nothing big about that unless you are in ZANU PF.
I really don’t understand how and why Mugabe appoint some people to cabinet positions
Dictators like to have people with guilty secrets under them. Then these junior crooks can be easily disposed of if they become boring.
Mugabe uses nepotism to appoint pple to positions. Nothing to do with competency. Kasukuwere is a bully, murderer and liah and ipapo vanowirirana chaizvo naBob.
After the commissions paid to Obert, Kasukuwere and others the diamond firms no doubt felt they had already paid. This 31 million Kasukuwere claims has been paid. Where is it? How was it paid? Was it in addition to royalty payments?
Somehow when these people speak I tend to have a deep rooted sense of disbelief.
Perhaps that is how Obert build his Shopping Complex in Bulawayo!
Why are they personal accounts not be checked???
All this Bob does is ROTATE HIS THIEVEING THUGS from one position to another
Dear old Savorier(sic)he is the one who got the back handers…
They have a culture of lying. For example the cancellation of utility bills from 2009 to July 2013 was not true. ZESA for example refused to co-operate. They say it was a non-event and mere electioneering. They (ZESA) also refused to abide by the new constitution which exempts senior citizens from paying utility bills. Is ZESA now a parallel government to the one ruling and is it bigger than the voice of the people, the constitution, which they have challenged by refusing senior citizens their right to exemption from utility bills. Is everything that ZANU PF says, a fallacy?