adminRay Bande Senior Reporter
DIAMOND workers claim to be in possession of sensitive information relating to diamond production and selling at Chiadzwa which it wants to present to the national leadership. Launching the Zimbabwe Diamond Miners Workers Union at Hot Springs last Saturday, Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions, secretary-general, Mr Kennias Shamuyarira, said the production and export of diamonds in the country were shrouded in mystery.
Mr Shamuyarira’s remarks come hard on the heels of an expose in which a Sicilian Mafia clique, working in cahoots with local businessmen, allegedly smuggled one million carats of diamonds worth $450 million from Chiadzwa in 2011.
The tough talking ZFTU secretary-general said his organisation would seek audience with the country’s leadership to share with them the sensitive information.
“We have been to Chiredzi sugar plantations and we opened a can of worms and exposed the shenanigans of some of the senior politicians of this world.
“People in Chiredzi are living in squalid conditions yet some company bosses in cahoots with unscrupulous politicians would levy $5 from every worker who earned $70 and the money was meant to bribe politicians. That is being cruel.
“We have evidence of these things and it is just a matter of time as we are now moving into the Chiadzwa issues.
“Zanu-PF is a people oriented party and we are an ally of Zanu-PF not its appendage or extension.
“In fact, we are going to engage the national leadership on these issues and expose all the underhand activities at Chiadzwa.
“We sincerely do not think that is the Look East Policy the President meant when he started the Look East programme.”
There have been genuine public concerns that individuals and not the country were benefitting from the Marange diamonds.
Online Reporter