MDC-T calls for 'no sacred cow' investigation into the looting of Marange diamonds - sweet music to hear

"There should also be a thorough due diligence exercise to determine what exactly happened to the alluvial diamonds from Marange and Chiadzwa," wrote MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu. "If heads have to roll, so be it! There should be absolutely no sacred cows."
Sweet, sweet music to my ears!

The wholesale looting and plunder in Marange and Chiadzwa is, without doubt, one of the darkest chapter in our nation's history; up there with the Gukurahundi madness.

The discovery of alluvial diamonds in Marange and Chiadzwa in 2006 valued at $800 billion was comparable to the discovery of oil in Arab Peninsular; it was our ticket out of poverty! Instead this blessing has turned into the nation's worst curse.

In 2012 Africa Partnership Canada, an NGO monitoring the illegal diamond trade, said President Mugabe pocketed a staggering $2 billion in that year alone from his share of the wholesale looting and plunder that has been going on in Marange. By keeping all this cash to himself and his few cronies who too have diamond mining concessions President Mugabe has starved the nation of the cash for essential economic development and critical basic needs.

The papers reported other day that Parerenyatwa and Mpilo Hospitals had 50% of the drugs they need; no doubt the situation in the district hospitals and clinics is a lot worse. Another story said that water in Kariba Dam had dropped to 12% and so there will be a new wave of powers cut beyond the present 18 hours out of 24 power cuts. Assuming President Mugabe has been getting his $2 billion cut every year for the last 10 years, it is clear we would not be having these drug shortages or power cut if the $20 billion have been invested wisely in these areas!

What makes our situation even worse is that President Mugabe and his cronies have used the looted wealth to bankroll the regime's vote rigging schemes. Zanu PF must have spent billions of dollars in the July 2013 elections from $10 million paid to NIKUV to corrupt the voters roll, millions paid to PR companies in UK and USA to spruce up President Mugabe's image, billions buying Zanu PF candidate new cars and paying their election expenses, etc., etc.

So instead of the diamond wealth dragging us out of poverty and squalor, the wealth is now being used to bankroll our continued political oppression and thus dragging us even deeper into poverty hopelessness and despair.

We owe it to ourselves to have the looting and plunder in Marange and Chiadzwa thoroughly investigated a.s.a.p. because no nation can afford such a criminal waste of its resources and, whilst this is allowed to continue, are hopes and dreams of a democratic Zimbabwe will remain just that – a dream.

I glad to hear Gutu say "there should be absolutely no sacred cows" because the MDC leader, Tsvangirai has played a role in this national tragedy. Tsvangirai was one of the few politicians who inspected the going on in Marange in 2012 and gave everything a thumbs-up. A few weeks after his visit to Marange, Tsvangirai was living-it in the presidential suite on the MS Legend of Seas, a Cruise Ship.  

The grand theft in Marange and Chiadzwa was institutionalized during the GNU years the nation must go after the thieves but also those who turned a blind eye to the thievery. For once, I have to applaud MDC-T spokesman, Obert Gutu, for saying something sensible. What a pity he and his fellow MDC friends "were busy enjoying themselves and forgot why they were in the GNU", as SADC heads have said; the nation would have never been robbed blind in the first place!   

Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe was an honoured guest.