An explosive dossier laid before Zimbabwe’s legislature last week escalated one of the country’s most volatile and unresolved scandals, alleging part of the US$15 billion in diamond wealth that “vanished” from Marange was strategically redirected to sustain political power at a moment of existential threat.
More than a decade after the late former president Robert Mugabe stunned the nation with his admission that billions had been looted from Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields, the question returned with renewed force, as a formal submission by the Mutare-based Centre for Research and Development (CRD) to Parliament.
It was part of consultations on Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill (CAB3), which ended last week.
The document attempts to reconstruct what may have happened to the mysterious war chest downplayed as the rant of an aged man in some quarters.
CRD claims the diamond wealth may have been converted through a shadow architecture of political survival, deployed at the height of economic collapse and political uncertainty to secure a decisive electoral victory for Zanu PF in 2013.
The ruling party this week rejected the allegations. Director of information Farai Marapira described them as a “fundamental misunderstanding” of both the constitutional reform process and the party’s governance record.
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The submission offers a glimpse into the gravity of the material presented to parliament during the run-up to CAB3 consultations, which ended last week amid reports of violence and intimidation against dissenting voices. But unless legislators choose to make such submissions public, critical information shaping a nation at a crossroads may remain buried.
“Resources were reportedly used to engage firms such as Nikuv International Projects for strategic services,” the CRD claimed.
“Marange was partitioned into seven opaque entities involving mainly state security and foreign partners. This strategic control enabled a period of extreme fiscal opacity, highlighted by a constant battle over missing diamond revenues,” CRD added.
“For instance, while the Ministry of Finance estimated diamond exports at over US$800 million in 2012, the national treasury received only US$45 million. Overall, official records indicate that while Zimbabwe realised over US$1,7 billion in diamond exports between 2010 and 2014, the fiscus received less than US$200 million in total taxes and dividends,” it added.
CRD’s disclosures may indicate the existence of an alternative financial channel operating beyond formal accounting systems, insulated from scrutiny and controlled through networks that blurred the line between state institutions and political interests, according to some observers.
“This strategic control enabled a period of extreme fiscal opacity,” the organisation claimed.
But Marapira fired back.
“The party rejects the CRD’s claims as baseless and part of a discredited regime-change narrative,” he said.
“On the US$15 billion figure, (then president) Mugabe himself clarified this was a rhetorical statement made ‘out of the blue to stress a point’.
“The entire global rough diamond market is worth roughly US$15 billion annually.
“Zimbabwe cannot lose what the world does not produce in total. Furthermore, to continue to hinge an argument on an absurdity is disingenuous,” Marapira said.
“On alleged election funding: Zanu PF’s fundraising is lawful and transparent, with declared revenue. No diamond revenue was diverted for the 2013 campaign. We challenge proof to be provided thereof.”
Mugabe said at the time the looting had taken place over a period of about a decade.
“Nikuv was contracted solely for technical computerisation of the civil registry. The company has never been involved in electoral manipulation. Zanu PF remains focused on responsible mineral governance through the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company,” he added.
“The Bill is a direct response to the people’s desire for stable, long-term planning, free from the disruptive cycle of constant elections. This is about creating a ‘responsive and progressive governance framework’ that prioritises the needs of all Zimbabweans.
“Furthermore, attempts to draw a link between this constitutional reform and historical patterns of resource capture are unfounded. On the contrary, the Second Republic has taken concrete, verifiable steps to safeguard our mineral wealth for the benefit of the nation. Zanu PF has been the driving force behind a robust legislative agenda to ensure the sovereign control of our natural resources. For instance, the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill is unequivocally a blueprint for national empowerment, economic modernisation, and sovereign control of our natural wealth.
“This commitment is not merely rhetorical. The party has taken decisive action, such as directing the government to enforce a strict ‘use it or lose it’ policy to combat speculation and ensure that our mining assets are actively developed for the public good. The Bill is designed to foster an environment of fairly and transparently conducted business that will empower local communities and attract responsible investment, not to facilitate plunder,” Marapira said.
But the submission made during the final stretch of consultations, makes unique claims.
Between 2010 and 2014, CRD told legislators Zimbabwe recorded approximately US$1,7 billion in diamond exports. But less than US$200 million reached the fiscus.
“These leakages, later estimated at US$15 billion in subsequent inquests, played a decisive role in the 2013 elections,” CRD told parliament.
Following the violently disputed 2008 polls, Zanu PF had been forced into a fragile power-sharing arrangement with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. By 2013, the ruling party faced a defining moment, to reclaim full control or remain constrained within a contested coalition.
CRD argues that Marange’s diamonds became central to that effort.
Among the most sensitive elements of the dossier is its reference to Nikuv International Projects, an Israeli firm whose name has surfaced repeatedly in connection with electoral systems and voter registration processes.
In the gold sector, Zimbabwe continues to lose an estimated US$1,2 billion annually through smuggling and illicit flows, with investigations exposing networks linked to politically-connected actors.
Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda confirmed that hundreds of submissions were received, but indicated none stood out.
“The Clerk of Parliament has no interest in any submission,” he said. “Yesterday (Tuesday last week), we received 500 submissions and it’s impossible to recall any one submission.”