Report reveals how politicians and security forces are siphoning off Zim’s diamond wealth
The political elite and security forces have taken control of and secretly exploited Zimbabwe’s once promi sing diamond sector, while concealing the scale of the loss from its people, a new report from international watchdog organisation Global Witness reveals.
The report, titled ‘An Inside Job’, examines five of the major mining companies that recently operated in the Marange diamond region, in the east of the country. The report shows how companies have concealed their finances and shielded their operations from public scrutiny, hiding significant stakes in these companies held by the coun try’s spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), the Zimbabwe military and government itself.
Global Witness says that this raises concerns that diamond money is secretly financ ing institutions responsible for oppressing the Zimbabwe people.
Alongside the report, Global Witness has released a neverbeforeshared map, finally revealing the details of company concessions in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields. It has also produced a short film featuring members of local communities describing the impacts of Marange diamonds on their lives.
The organisation contends that “very little” of Zimbabwe’s diamond wealth has benefited ordinary people. It notes that, since 2010, Zimbabwe has officially exported about $2.5billion worth of diamonds, according to official figures from the Kimberley Process. Limited available government reports show only around $300million of this can clearly be identified in public accounts.
Denne historien er fra September 29, 2017-utgaven av Mining Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra September 29, 2017-utgaven av Mining Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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