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Diamonds are forever for Mugabe
Zoli Mangena, Jonathan Clayton and Jan Raath, The London Times
May 30, 2010

http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/article477538.ece/Diamonds-are-forever-for-Mugabe

The illegal diamond trade in Zimbabwe is believed to be the single biggest source of "blood diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" in the world today - and one of the last cash lifelines of the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, and his cohorts.

An investigation by The Times of London established how the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe, a fabulously wealthy but virtually unexploited diamond field, had fallen under the control of the top men in Zimbabwe's secret services.

And despite the news this week that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) ordered the Zimbabwean government to halt all illegal diamond dealings, that country's government seems hellbent on circumventing the directive.

The KPCS is a joint governments, industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds, rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against other governments.

The KPCS imposes extensive requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as "conflict-free". As of December 2009, the KPCS had 49 members, representing 75 countries, with the European Union and its member states counting as an individual participant.

KPCS monitor Abbey Chikane, who is also chairman of the Southern African Diamond Board, ordered that Zimbabwe stop unlawfully selling diamonds to Dubai.

Mines Minister Obert Mpofu last week confirmed he had suspended the sale of diamonds pending the finalisation of the KPCS process.

"The real issue is (that) Chikane told Zimbabwean authorities that while they can try to go it alone and sell their diamonds outside the KPCS, they were going to face serious problems. He demanded that they must stop their diamond sales," a senior diamond mining executive said.

In 2006, the Mugabe regime cancelled the mining lease for Marange that had been secured by a British-registered company called African Consolidated Resources (ACR). Last year a court confirmed that ACR was the rightful owner - but Mpofu and General Constantine Chiwenga, the defence force chief, have shown no intention of lessening their grip on such a lucrative trade.

Mugabe's wife, Grace, is also alleged to be involved.

Attempts by the country's new unity government, which has the former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister, to gain access to the fields to find out what is really going on have so far failed.

Analysts say they fear that the elite in the regime are using the diamond wealth to entrench themselves in power before an expected succession battle when Mugabe, 86, finally bows out.

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