Diamond miners in the Marange fields scrape through dirt trying to find stones

PRESENTER:
For most people, diamonds symbolize love, happiness and wealth, but in countries like Zimbabwe, they’ve brought terror and misery. So jewellery stores like this one in Cresta want to feel confident that the diamonds they sell are approved by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. This is the international watchdog to put a stop to the deadly trade in conflict diamonds. Next week in Namibia, they will decide on what action to take against Zimbabwe. This report investigates the country’s blood diamonds. [This Special Assignment programme “Zimbabwe’s Blood Diamonds” was broadcast on Tuesday 27 October at 8.30 pm on SABC 3 (South Africa)]

INTRO:
In the mountains of Eastern Zimbabwe lies a vast alluvial deposit of diamonds, one of the richest in the world. The gems lie near the surface of the ground, so they can be collected by hand. Nearly half of the diamonds found here are industrials – a low-grade stone used for drilling and grinding. But, perhaps as many as 40 %, are the highly prized gemstones.

A miner holds up a diamond he's attempting to sell behind the backs of the military and police

ILLEGAL DIAMOND PANNER:
Industrials are the ones we find most often, but the clear ones are higher quality. They are the ones that bring big money.

These diamonds could earn Zimbabwe as much as 200 million US dollars a month, enough to fund the country’s reconstruction. Instead, they’ve brought nothing but greed and misery. (more…)

The refusal by ZANU PF to implement the outstanding issues of the GPA, has dampened the enthusiasm of business.

It is hoped that the SADC Troika meetings in Harare this week will unlock the process of reform and allow the economy to kickstart through the injection of much needed foreign capital.

More and more US Dollars are circulating in the predominantly Rand areas of the economy as Civil Servants are being paid in this currency. Furthermore, Rand is being consumed more and more in cross-border business transactions and currency street vendors have all but disappeared.

The anomalies of the Northern exchange rate of 10:1 as opposed to the South, based on of the ruling rate of the day (Presently 7,5:1) allows for profiteering and the converse increase in cost for those using Rand to purchase goods costed in US Dollars.

Wankie Colliery coal supplies to Hwange Power Station have doubled from this time last year and ZESA is now paying in advance. Power outages have diminished taking some pressure of hard pressed industry. However this news comes on the back of an announcement of a cut of 250MW as generation plant goes under extensive maintenance.

Via Reuters: Southern African countries are expected to hold an extraordinary summit on the political crisis in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Friday, in a bid to keep the unity government from crumbling.

Ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) would recommend holding a special summit to discuss difficulties facing his strained unity government with President Robert Mugabe.

A SADC delegation on a two-day visit to Harare has been pressing Tsvangirai’s MDC to end a cabinet boycott in an effort to resolve rifts threatening Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government, a regional official said.

“I have been advised that given the input from various representations, the mission will recommend the convening of an extraordinary summit of SADC to deal with the matter,” Tsvangirai said, adding that no date had been fixed yet. (more…)

We’ve just had word that three five of Louis Fick’s farmworkers were shot today. [A media release received later indicates the figure is five, not three - see update here, with more details] Two of them are in serious condition at Chinhoyi hospital. In addition to the shootings, two more staff houses at Friedewil Farm in Lions Den have been burned down.

Louis Fick himself is not at the farm – he is unable to live there anymore and is currently seeking legal advice and assistance from the South African embassy. Louis Fick is a South African national and he is meant to be protected under the SADC Tribunal ruling that they be allowed to remain on their land.

We’ve been told that the man who carried out the shootings has himself been beaten in reprisal. This in itself is alarming because it suggests the violence may spiral with further reprisal attacks taking place. The police do little to prevent violence against farmworkers so the people living on the farm are vulnerable and unprotected.

Louis Fick has been subjected to sustained unlawful behaviour at the hands of the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Edward Mashiringwani, for some time now. Mashiringwani has taken over more than 98% of Fick’s Friedewil Farm and he, along with his farm manager Shepherd Makoni and supporters, are responsible for a wide range of abuses, including violence, theft, arson and gross animal cruelty.

Last month the Deputy Governor denied Fick access to about 4,000 pigs, refusing to allow him to feed or water them, in an attempt to use animal cruelty to force Fick to give up the last of his piggeries. Please see our Action Alert last month for more information on what happened last month.

Violence in Zimbabwe is rising rapidly in the wake of the MDC-T’s disengagement with the Zanu PF party. Yesterday, Zimbabwean immigration officials barred the United Nation’s torture investigator, Manfred Nowak, from entering Zimbabwe. Mr Nowak termed this act a “serious diplomatic incident” and also said ““There are certainly some parts of the government who do not want me to assess the current conditions of torture”.

Zimbabweans need you to take action. Please leave feedback in the comments below. Thank you. (more…)

Slideshow created by Zimbabwean economist John Robertson. (Click on ‘Full’ on the bottom left corner of the slideshow to view the slides in full screen size)

Via AFP:

Zimbabwean immigration officials barred the United Nation’s torture investigator from entering their country and returned him to South Africa Thursday, an act he termed a “serious diplomatic incident” that reflects a split in the coalition government.

“There are certainly some parts of the government who do not want me to assess the current conditions of torture,” Manfred Nowak angrily told reporters in Johannesburg upon arrival from Zimbabwe.

Nowak said he had a meeting scheduled with Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai Thursday at the start of his mission to investigate alleged attacks on Tsvangirai supporters by militants linked to President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party. Tsvangirai, a longtime opposition leader, joined the government with Mugabe in February, but withdrew temporarily from Cabinet earlier this month after accusing ZANU-PF of human rights violations. (more…)

MDC-T Press Release — Six armed men in a grey Isuzu last night kidnapped MDC transport manager Pascal Gwezere from his home in Mufakose, Harare

Gwezere had just arrived home from work when the six men descended on his home and said he was under arrest and took him away.

A witness said six men using a grey Isuzu without number plates came and took him away, saying he was under arrest.

Today, the men reportedly came back using a cream Mitsubishi Registration Number AAB 0646 and took away his wife’s cellphone. They reportedly told her that Gwezere had been detained at Marimba police station.

MDC lawyers are desperately trying to establish whether it is true that he is at Marimba Police Station. (more…)

As previously announced, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, was invited by the Government of Zimbabwe to conduct an official fact-finding mission, from 28 October to 4 November 2009.

Upon his arrival in Johannesburg, on transit to Harare, the Special Rapporteur was informed, that the mission had been postponed by the Government on 26 October 2009, stating that it “regrets to advise that due to the previously unanticipated Consultative process currently taking place in Harare involving the Government of National Unity and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Government of Zimbabwe will be unable to receive the Special Rapporteur on the proposed dates.” (more…)