MINES and Mining Development minister Walter Chidhakwa has demanded a comprehensive report on the alleged corrupt deals by former Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa and others fingered in a $6 million bribery scam.
MOSES MATENGA
President Robert Mugabe last month lifted the lid on the bribery scam where it was alleged Masimirembwa demanded $6 million from Ghanaian investors.
In an interview yesterday, Chidhakwa said investigations into the matter were in progress.
“We are not yet done, we are still talking to people and I told them to give me a report, but they have not done so,” Chidhakwa said. “I had said last week, but they had not given me.”
Chidhakwa early this month told Parliament he had set up a team to investigate the alleged corruption in the joint venture agreement between ZMDC and a Ghanaian company, Gye Nam Resources.
Responding to a question on what his ministry was doing to probe the alleged corruption in diamond mining during a question-and-answer session in Parliament, Chidhakwa said: “Unfortunately, I could not get that much information. The team has not managed to see the Ghanaian, who is the complainant in this matter. The Ministry of Mines and other relevant stakeholders are determined to deal with corruption.”
He also said government would probe cases of abuse of workers and non-payment of salaries for security personnel at the Chiadzwa diamond fields following several reports.
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“We will have to get details on those issues,” Chidhakwa said, responding to what government was doing to deal with the situation. “I suppose one has to get information on the issue. It can be read in two ways: Either the security companies are paid by the mining companies, but they don’t pay the workers; or sometimes, it is the mining companies that would not have paid the security firms who then fail to pay the workers.”
Chidhakwa said government was committed to see to it that mining firms work in harmony for the good of the country hence the need to address the concerns raised.
His remarks came in the wake of disclosures that a company contracted to provide security services at the Chiadzwa diamond fields, National Eye, was reportedly ill-treating its guards.
Meanwhile, Masimirembwa yesterday told NewsDay that he had not bussed youths from Mabvuku-Tafara to secure employment with the company,saying he merely recommended them.
“I, in my personal capacity and not as chairman of ZMDC, recommended about 15 youths to be considered for employment by the security firm, but it was up to the firm to hire them or not to hire them,” he said.
This followed reports that he had abused his position as ZMDC boss by ensuring the security company employed youths from a constituency he contested and lost to the MDC-T’s James Maridadi.
