via Hats off to Chidhakwa – DailyNews Live by Tafadzwa Musarara 1 DECEMBER 2013
Widely viewed as still “green” and a novice for the new job, Mines minister Walter Chidhakwa proved at the last held Kimberly Process (KP) Plenary that although he was thrown in deep-end, he is a shark.
The 2013 KP Plenary was expected to deal with basically six issues which include the ban on diamond trade in the Central African Republic, suspension of Venezuela and Ivory Coast, the review report on the USA KP systems, election of Angola as the vice chair and proposed reforms on the KP Statutes.
These critical agenda issues caused a lot of horse trading, spying and aggressive diplomacy as members sought to procure each others’ vote. The KP operates on the doctrine of soft law where each and every member has to consent to decisions proposed.
The rabid attack by Civic Society Coalition, represented by Shamiso Mtisi who is believed to be a Zimbabwean, in their opening address on Zimbabwe and Angola was, to say the least, malicious, contemptuous and riddled with falsehoods.
It was a deliberate move by the Western sponsored Civic Society Coalition to have a black man deliver the speech since the Plenary was being held in Africa for obvious reasons.
Many delegates were stone-faced during this presentation and attempted to angrily respond.
Chidhakwa, sat quietly and attentive and the diplomacy experience he acquired in Bulgaria saved the day.
It was indeed difficult for him to keep quiet than respond. His silence surprised many and earned Chidhakwa respect for showing maturity and demonstrating that the attack did not deserve to be dignified with a response.
African Union, Sadc, the European Union and other international observer teams declared the Zimbabwean election free, fair and credible. The subversion of the will of the people due to diamond earnings does not arise in Zimbabwe or in any other KP compliant African countries.
This statement was an indictment on the integrity and competency of the KP.
In the 2012 United Nations Report, 99 percent of the world diamonds are certified conflict free but Mtisi and colleagues thinks otherwise.
Chidakwa succeeded in ensuring that the Civil Society Coalition sponsored reforms are thwarted by successfully mobilising African and Asian countries to vote against the motion.
The Mines minister’s shrewdness made his delegation put American on the back foot with regards the poor review report on its KP control mechanisms.
It was a big feat for Chidhakwa and his team to put the Americans in the dock and remind them that they were as equal as any other members.
This was important given that Zimbabwe is the biggest supplier of diamonds in the world and America is the biggest consumer of diamonds in the world. The two countries need to respect each other.
The interrogation of the review report on the USA’s KP control mechanism exposed that the USA was importing four million carats of diamonds and exporting seven million carats.
What an anomaly for a country with no meaningful diamond extractive industry!
This means that millions of diamond carats were imported into USA outside the KP oversight and then get KP certificates in USA to allow them to trade anywhere in the world.
This arrangements breed speculation that some diamonds from conflict riddled countries like Central African Republic were finding safe homes in USA where they were sanitised with KP certification.
Chidhakwa managed, at every time, to maintain a very cozy relationship with newly-found love, European Union. As his first KP assignment, Chidhakwa deserves a feather on his cap.
COMMENTS
Who is Tafadzwa Musarara and where did he learn to write so poorly? This article was comprised of a lot of wordage being thrown around, but there was no story! We’re not told what Chidhakwa actually did, other then to keep his mouth shut. Is that how a shark operates? And what actions by the Americans hinted that they had been put on their back foot? Nothing is spelled out in the article. There’s lots of hints and innuendo but the facts are not connected nor do they lead to a logical conclusion!
It’s also alledged that the presentation by Shamiso Mtisi of the Civic Society Coalition, was “malicious, contemptuous and riddled with falsehoods.” but we’re given no examples to back up this characterization, nor any proof that the Civic Society Coalition in any way represents the opinions of anyone other then their own members. And what if they do? If he has good ideas about the KP, then let’s hear them and discuss them.
The writer is prone to charactor assassination through association – rather then doing the hard work of being a good journalist to actually back up his lurid allegations.
I like the objectivity of this article. Africa Arise and see things beyond the goggles of inferiority.
It is true that the USA is getting diamonds from conflict riddled countries like Central African Republic and have them sanitised with KP certification for export outside the US.
The more rabidly anti Zim you are,the bigger the pat on the back.
What is this man writing about? Can’t make any sense of the story. Can’t even see the hats off part. One thing certain is that a “daily news reporter” can’t be this naïve and factless
The long and short of the report is that Chidhakwa, managed to pour water to the negative report sponsored by Zimbabweans aganist Zimbabwe.
what is this artice about? the silence of the miniter when he is expected tp provide answers to the problems bedevelling the diamonds industry? and this Tafadzwa comes here to ullulate over the silence of the minister? singing for supper yanyanyisa iyi!
whatever the issue the writer was trying to tell the readers is nonense. Whether Chidhakwa responded or not it not an issue, the matter of concern is where is the money from the diamonds, whether they auctioned officially or illegally, but that money belongs to Zimbabweans all Zimbabweans. Any minister worth his cause should see to it that the money goes to the people of Zimbabwe, to develop not to finance some individuals.
Walter studied Political Economy in Bulgaria, not diplomacy.
I have never seen such a poorly written article in my life!
Zimbabwe biggest diamond exporter in the world!!!! Shocked, that’s why Zimbabweans are all over the world chasing after their precious mineral!! Zvinhu zvakadhakwa vaChidhakwa. Where are the sanctions we cry so much about? Resource management yakadhakwa VaChidhakwa. And the short guys from the east are milking us dry. Zvinobhowa izvi.