MINES and Mining Development minister Walter Chidhakwa has dissolved the boards of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and Marange Resources, NewsDay has learnt.
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The dissolution of the boards comes just days after Chidhakwa toured diamond mining operations in Marange.
In an interview yesterday, Chidhakwa confirmed the development. “I can confirm that the three boards have been dissolved. Usually when boards are dissolved, the permanent secretary is the one who is put in charge,” said Chidhakwa.
“There was no board at Marange because there were only two people on that board. The boards have been dissolved because we felt that we needed to carry out an assessment of MMCZ and ZMDC. We will appoint a small team to go and look at MMCZ and we will then appoint a new board. In the meantime, the permanent secretary will act as the executive.”
The MMCZ board was chaired by former Zimbabwe ambassador to China Christopher Mutsvangwa.
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Other MMCZ board members included Juliet Machoba (deputy chairperson), Johnson Masawi, Tendai Munyoro, Nonhlanhla Ndlovu, Felix Moyo, economist Nicholas Dube, Tongai Muzenda and economist Morris Mpofu. The ZMDC board comprised of Florence Gowora, Togarmah Dhlakama, Ashton Ndlovu, Psychology Maziwisa, Supa Mandiwanzira, Ntombizodwa Masuku, Mutabu Sibanda and Esther Maravanyika.
Sources said the dissolution of the board was linked to the disappearance of 1,3 million carats of diamonds following the disbandment of Canadile Miners, a joint venture company between Core Mining and Mineral Resources and government through ZMDC.
In September President Robert Mugabe blew the lid on a $6 million bribery scam involving former ZMDC board chairman Godwills Masimirembwa. Mugabe accused Masimirembwa of soliciting a bribe from a Ghanaian investor.
Meanwhile, the country was yesterday scheduled to auction 300 000 carats of diamonds in Antwerp, Belgium, the centre of the global diamond trade.