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Cletus Mushanawani and Liberty Dube in Mutare
Villagers, chiefs and trustees of the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust this week came out guns blazing, demanding that all diamond mining companies in Chiadzwa should honour pledges they made when President Mugabe launched the trust last year. They said actions by the firms of letting President Mugabe launch a trust, which they later disowned should not go unpunished.

Out of the US$40 million the firms pledged in the presence of President Mugabe last year, Mbada Diamonds and Marange Resources remitted US$400 000 to the Trust’s account, while Anjin Investments and Diamond Mining Company were still to pay.

Jinan was not yet operating at the time.

In an interview on Wednesday, headman Kasunzuma of Chukundu area in Odzi, bemoaned the state of the Odzi-Marange gravel road which has been destroyed by rains.

“These companies should pay. They are tapping our non renewable diamonds to enrich some people elsewhere and yet they are refusing to invest even a few dollars in infrastructure development.”

Mr Tineyi Njenjera from Bemhiwa Village said at 43, he was still herding cattle, adding that it was disheartening that the companies employed unskilled labourers from districts outside Manicaland.

“We are unemployed and life has not been easy. We are struggling to pay school fees for our children, but the companies have not been kind enough to assist us with at least any form of employment. They are employing folks from other provinces to do even the simplest of jobs. It’s very painful,” he said.

Mrs Joyce Kapfumvuti from Reesai Village in Zimunya said they were travelling long distances to fetch water.

“The roads are bad and we travel long distances to nearest clinics and boreholes. Recently, water along the Odzi River was polluted and people as far as Birchenough Bridge were affected.

“The question is how will we benefit from these diamonds when the companies refuse to pay the trust?” she said.

Acting chiefs Zimunya and Marange expressed disgruntlement over what they termed “betrayal” and disrespect of the people by the mining firms.

“Imagine the high hopes we had. There is no notable development in our area. They even deceived the President and everyone in this district. This area is dry and we need boreholes for clean water. We also need good roads and clinics.

“There is no medicine at Marange Clinic, sewage system and the small mortuary needs redress. Various schools in the district need urgent attention, walls are cracking and roofs area leaking. They don’t have furniture, the classroom blocks are in a sorry state,” said Chief Marange.

Chief Zimunya said his area had not benefited from the mining operations and blasted the firms for lying to President Mugabe.

“Lying to the President is an insult, let alone to thousands of villagers and the community leaders. I am under pressure from the villagers, but I no longer have anything to tell them. They now know that the companies lied. The villagers are wallowing in poverty.

“Our photographs which were taken at the launch of the Marange- Zimunya Community Share Trust were splashed all over the world with us assisting President Mugabe to raise the cheque, which was handed over by one of the mining companies’ representatives at the colourful launch held at Gomorefu High School.

The companies were represented by Anjin chairman Mr Munyaradzi Machacha, who also handed over the cheque to President Mugabe and acting chiefs Marange and Zimunya.

When the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Trust was launched, it was announced that each company would provide  US$10 million to the trust.

Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs, Cde Chris Mushohwe, said the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment should summon all people who were mentioned as the ones who blocked the release of money to the Trust.

“This committee has a responsibility to call all those mentioned to have had a role in the failure of the companies to disburse money to the committee to explain everything.

“It is sad that we are also being implicated in this whole issue where someone claimed that money was deposited into my personal account. When some deposits money into an account there is a paper trail and why not visit the bank and expose everything?” he said.

Manicaland Provincial Administrator, Mr Fungai Mbetsa, concurred, adding all the companies were aware of the existence of the Trust.

“They are running away from the responsibility of paying up what they pledged before President Mugabe. The diamond companies should emulate the Mimosas and Zimplats of this world than to lie like that.

“Several follow-ups were made with the parent company which is ZMDC and when they came for a donation last year they told everyone that there was a need for the companies to honour their pledges,” he said.

One of the Trust members who spoke on condition of anonymity, said money was only availed towards the July elections.

“The first batch of money was released sometime in June when President Mugabe visited St Noah College. The last batch was released after elections and it is shocking to hear the companies lying that they do not know our existence. Training of the trustees has since been done, while a work plan has been produced so far. Communities were consulted and they gave us what they wanted the money to be used for. Among the things they said they wanted to be done was rehabilitation of boreholes, sinking of new boreholes, construction of dip tanks as well as construction of expectant mothers’ waiting rooms.

“When we received the $400 000, we had hoped that things were now moving, not knowing that the initial seed money of $1, 5 million pledged by the companies was just a hoax. We could not believe it to hear the companies disowning the Trust. How can they distance themselves from something that was announced to the whole world by President Mugabe at a rally attended by thousands of people from all walks of life including the then Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, Cabinet ministers and people from all walks of life?’’ he asked.