Mujuru condemnation of looting of Chiadzwa diamonds is a cheap campaign gimmick!

Mai Mujuru speaks out against the serious corruption in Zimbabwe rich diamond industry that has brought unparalleled prosperity in foreign lands whilst Zimbabweans have nothing to show for it.

"Right now they are claiming that the Marange diamonds have been exhausted but no one here has any diamond rings or other jewels," she told a church gathering. "No jobs were created locally in diamond polishing. All the diamonds were taken to India where they have built a town from Chiadzwa diamonds – it's called Surat and yet Zimbabweans continue to struggle."

This is not the first time Zimbabweans have heard that there is serious corruption in the country's diamond industry. The late Zanu PF MP, Chindori-Chininga said exactly the same in parliamentary report in 2013. The report should have been followed up with a thorough investigation, sadly nothing was done.

Instead of now demanding that this matter should be thoroughly investigated all this corrupt and tyrannical regime can think of seeking to have the would matter swept under the carpet under the pretext that even Mai Mujuru's raising of the matter risks damaging Zimbabwe's relation with India.


"You can't make that statement without facts because you're throwing mud at a whole country," said a government official.

"The claim that India started a town afresh with Zimbabwean diamonds is quite serious. It's unbelievable. If that doesn't trigger a diplomatic storm, nothing ever would. For a senior person to be making allegations of that nature, it's very, very bad. It's quite alarming. You can't have a junior official even making that kind of allegation."

In Zimbabwean diamonds have found their way into India illegally then it is the duty of the Zimbabwean authority to thoroughly investigate the matter and make sure those responsible are brought to book and the corruption stopped. We would expect the Indian government to assist in uncovering the criminals; to do anything else would definitely sour relationship with India. India would not tolerate any foreigners undermining its national interests by conniving in any criminal activities so why should Zimbabwe be expected to act any differently!

However it is Mai Mujuru's motive in saying this that one has to question. Is she saying this out of concern to end this scourge of corruption or for selfish political gain? As already stated above, corruption and even murder have been rampant is Marange and Chiadzwa ever since the discovery of alluvial diamonds deposits in these areas; it is therefore unbelievable that someone in Mai Mujuru's position did not know what was going on all these years.  

Is it possible that Mai Mujuru is spilling the beans of the Chiadzwa diamonds to win favours with the Zimbabwe electorate? When Zanu PF rigged last year's elections and committed all the other countless criminals against the nation; she did not see, hear or benefit from them. Or could it be that she said nothing all these years because she had lost her voice and she is speaking now because she has just recovered her voice?

Mai Mujuru is a liberation war heroine who, since independence, she systematically denied the people all the rights and freedoms for which so many lost their very lives to achieve. She is seeing the Zanu PF wrong doing now because she see it as her only way of winning back the nation's trust and thus remain in power. She is an integral part of this corrupt and tyrannical regime; she will never ever deliver the justice and democratic system the nation has been dying for, literally.

Zimbabweans should be wary of corrupt and incompetent leaders whose respect of justice and human rights and dignity is like the moon that grows, waxes and completely disappears to leave you lost in the dark. This nation needs competent and principled leaders with the consistency and luminosity of the sun.