Top Zanu-PF officials accused of looting diamond funds

Top Zanu-PF politicians have been accused of looting funds meant for community share ownership trusts thereby derailing community development, a parliamentary portfolio committee heard Thursday.

Chief Zimunya, the alternative chairperson of the Marange-Zimunya community share ownership trust, told the parliamentary committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment that mining firms were reluctant to release the funds meant for the scheme after being "milked" by top Zanu-PF chefs, 'The Zimbabwe Mail' reported.

Chief Zimunya was, however, at pains to directly name the concerned politicians, only to produce a newspaper cutting that had the  picture of Zanu-PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa, who is also minister of State in the Office of the President.

Chairperson of the committee Justice Mayor Wadyajena quizzed Zimunya on whether Mutasa was the one interfering with the operation of the trust, to which the chief said: "Honourable chair, I might not be in a position to name anyone at the moment, but something is happening on the ground, people are taking cash from the mining firms. Some of them were given vehicles and when we go there, the companies would not be willing to release the funds to us".

Pressed further by Wadyajena and other committee members to reveal the names, Chief Zimunya implicated suspended Zanu-PF chairperson, Mike Madiro, who he alleged had received vehicles from the mining companies.

"The mining firms are not willing to release any funds to us. As parliament, why are you not investigating this issue? Something is happening on the ground which I cannot say here," Zimunya said.

The parliamentary portfolio chair, however, kept on quizzing the chief on whether Mutasa and other politicians were interfering until Zimunya said:

"Why are companies not willing to release the $1,5 million which they pledged, but are willing to give individuals the cars? Why? Honourable, I am not willing to divulge names in this forum, but I stand by my statement, there is political interference."

Chief Marange, the Marange Community Trust chairperson, however, denied that there was political interference.

"As far as I know, no one interferes with the operations of the trust. We work well with the minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Chris Mushowe as we seek his advice from time to time, but when it comes to decision making, we do it by ourselves," he said.

The chairperson had to recuse Chief Marange from the hearing so that they could decide whether to reveal the names of the implicated politicians or be charged with contempt of Parliament.

After the Marange debacle, the Tongongara Community Share Ownership Trust also appeared before the same committee where similar statements regarding political interference from Zanu-PF politicians in the running of the trust were made.

Legal advisor to the trust, Tatenda Tavenhve, said there was interference from stakeholders forcing parliamentarians to ask him to disclose those people who were interfering with the projects.

The trust chairperson, Chief Ndanga, revealed that there were some ‘very sensitive' people who were trying to influence the operation of the trusts.

"Some people tried to influence the operations of the trust, but we resisted. They came saying they had been sent by higher offices whose names are too sensitive to mention here," he said.

This did not go down well with the committee as they demanded to know who the "too sensitive" people were, but to no avail.