The month of November 2011 has been little different to so many before in Zimbabwe's recent history - violence remains unchecked despite an agreement reached at a meeting by the principals of the GPA to have their supporters restrain themselves. A number of senior Zanu-PF cadres openly indulge in hate speechwhile there are media reports of their supporters running riot riot in high density suburbs. There is news too that war veterans, militia and the army are continuing to terrorise people living in rural areas.

Members of "opposition" parties (i.e the MDC-T and MDC parties) continue to suffer legal harassment, whilst political and apolitical rallies, marches and demonstrations continue to be banned or blocked by police, even if pre-approved by the courts.

Freedom of speech remains restricted, or abused through the state media, whilst journalists and their media houses are still being hounded and harassed.

During the month of November 2011 a total of 60 media articles were recorded for ZIG Watch. The bulk of the violations reflected in these media articles (constituting breaches of the GPA) was made up of incidences of violence, intimidation, hate speech, threats, abductions and brutalityArticles highlighting legal harassment of perceived opposition politicians contributed a large number of breaches in November, while cases of denial of the right to freedom of speech, or abuse of freedom of speech Also featured prominently, along with stories highlighting violations of the GPSA hrough the subversion of legal processes.

Ten sample articles provided at the end of this report represent this month's media coverage of events in relation to the GPA.

The full range of articles logged in November is available at http://www.sokwanele.com/zigwatch . 

[Full report can be downloaded here]

Last year on 10^th & 11^th September 2010 a fly over of Hwange National Park (HNP)   revealed  increased mining activity inand around the Sinamatella area.  In addition to the mining carried out by Hwange Colliery Company Limited there are now at least 3 other coal mining developments, two adjoining HNP and one actually within the Park.

This mining activity is of grave concern.  The associated building of roads and increased human activity is bound to lead to an increase in poaching as the area is opened up, access becomes easier, and there are more people in the area to carry out the poaching and to buy the poached meat.

Further Sinamatella is a rhino intensive protection zone (IPZ). The survival of rhino throughout southern Africa is in doubt due to the ongoing slaughter of these animals for their horn.  The IPZs have proved successful but it will be extremely difficult for the Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA) to monitor and protect the rhino in the Sinamatella IPZ with all the additional traffic and activity resulting from these various mining operations both within the IPZ and on its boundaries.

The discovery of massive diamond deposits in Zimbabwe has led to hundreds of media reports exploring the abuse of human rights and grandscale corruption. It can be difficult to keep up to date with events as they unfold, or to tease out the key story as it unfolds. Sokwanele has produced a full report that aims to synthesise this glut information into a single report providing our readers with an accessible and wide ranging overview of events, meetings, human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and the network of the people involved in the ‘Marange story’. We have also produced a timeline highlighting Kimberley Process meetings and other key events.

Executive Summary

The struggle for power in Zimbabwe is inextricably linked to the discovery of “the richest diamond field ever seen by several orders of magnitude”¹ at Marange. What should have been a means of salvation for the virtually bankrupt country after ten years of chaos that saw world record inflation and the nation brought to its knees has led, instead, to greed, corruption and exploitation on a grand scale, the use of forced labour – both adults and children – horrifying human rights abuses, brutal killings, degradation of the environment and the massive enrichment of a select few.

Initially De Beers had full exploration rights to search for minerals in the Marange communal area in eastern Zimbabwe. Their exploration certificates expired on March 28, 2006, and De Beers did not renew them.²

A United Kingdom-registered company, African Consolidated Resources (ACR) subsequently registered exploration claims over the Marange diamond fields giving them exclusive rights to explore and search for diamonds and other precious stones in Marange district. In June 2006, having discovered diamonds, they declared the find, whereupon the government evicted them, seizing 129,400 carats ACR had extracted. They then opened the fields to anyone wishing to look for diamonds. “It was estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 illegal artisanal miners were working the land and illegally selling their diamond finds to dealers outside the country.”³

In November 2006 the government launched a nationwide police operation code-named Chikorokoza Chapera (End to Illegal Panning), aimed at stopping illegal mining. “The operation was marked by human rights abuses, corruption, extortion and smuggling.”⁴

Two years later on 27 October, 2008, the government launched Operation Hakudzokwi (No Return). Human Rights Watch noted that the operation, involving elements of the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force and Central Intelligence Organisation, appeared to have been designed both to restore a degree of order and to allow key army units access to riches at a time when the country was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. HRW reported that the army had killed at least 214 miners, and said soldiers were involved in the smuggling of diamonds.⁵

By November the army was firmly in control and they turned rapidly to forming syndicates⁶, often using forced labour, including women and children.

In July 2009 the Ministry of Mines accepted expressions of interest from companies willing to enter into joint ventures agreements to mine in Marange under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.⁷ This resulted in the incorporation of two new distinct companies in which ZMDC [through Marange Resources] had 50% shares: Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Miners Private Limited. Transparent procedures were not followed.⁸

On 4 November, 2010 five officials from ZMDC and a director from Canadile, were arrested over an alleged US$2-billion fraud. Canadile’s operations were suspended, its equipment confiscated and its directors barred from entering the country. The ZMDC, through Marange Resources, assumed total control of the diamond claims held by Canadile.⁹

The government then granted licenses to Sino-Zimbabwe, a joint commercial entity between the Chinese government and Zimbabwe, Anjin, a Chinese company and Pure Diamonds, a Lebanese firm.¹⁰

It is clear that China stands to gain much from its extensive investments in the mining sector. All revenues from the Zimbabwe government’s joint diamond venture with Anjin over the next 20 years may already have been mortgaged to Beijing to pay off a contentious US$98 million loan to build a vast “techno-spy and communications base”, the Robert Mugabe School of Intelligence, outside Harare.

“Every day millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds leave Zimbabwe from the world’s richest diamond field. But none of that money reaches the country’s desperate poor…”¹¹