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Matanga disowns Chiadzwa diamond mine

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POLICE Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga last week professed ignorance over the ownership of a Zimbabwe Republic Police-owned Chiadzwa-based diamond mine called Gye Nyame.

POLICE Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga last week professed ignorance over the ownership of a Zimbabwe Republic Police-owned Chiadzwa-based diamond mine called Gye Nyame.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Matanga had appeared before the Temba Mliswa-chaired Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy together with former Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo to respond to questions about police’s mining activities and explain their role in Operation Hakudzokwi, which reportedly claimed several lives of diamond panners.

His predecessor, Augustine Chihuri failed to turn up for the grilling after Parliament failed to locate him and summon him to appear before the committee.

“In as far as I am concerned, I only read about Gye Nyame in the newspapers, and I do not have information about it,” Matanga responded, adding “maybe Chihuri would know about it”.

Mliswa then quizzed him further, asking him to explain if his response meant that the ZRP concession in Chiadzwa could have been Chihuri’s personal property.

“We received oral evidence from different mines who said the ZRP had concessions in Chiadzwa. It was disturbing that we received information about Gye Nyame being under the personal name of the former Police Commissioner-General,” Mliswa said, as he also invited Chombo to set the record straight over the matter.

Chombo said, as Home Affairs minister, he was only responsible for policy issues and deployment of the police in Chiadzwa was the duty of Chihuri.

Mliswa also asked Matanga to account for the diamonds mined by ZRP when they took over the Russian mine, DTZ Ozgeo, mafia style.

“We also want to know what happened to those diamonds and if the police are above the law,” Mliswa asked? Mutasa Central MP Trevor Saruwaka (MDC-T) asked Matanga to explain how many people were arrested, injured, or killed in Chiadzwa during the police Operation Hakudzokwi and the diamonds confiscated from illegal dealers?

The committee also wanted to know how much was donated to the ZRP Minerals Border Control Unit by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe and if they knew about the donations.

“The Mines ministry has a responsibility to pay for services rendered by the police, but that money did not come to my office. Can I go back to my office to find out if there was any money received on behalf of ZRP by anyone,” Matanga said. The police chief then asked the committee to give him seven days to investigate the matters raised by MPs and bring comprehensive answers to Parliament.