“President Mugabe yesterday revealed to investors attending the Mining Indaba that Anglo-American knew of the existence of diamonds in Chiadzwa and never revealed that to Government. He said for years the company was robbing the nation of vital income from the diamond fields.

He said that Anglo-American Corporation prospected for diamonds in Marange for years and secretly benefited from the extraction of the precious mineral.

“The Anglo-American Corporation did a lot of prospecting but never told us there were diamonds there,” said President Mugabe.

“From what we hear Anglo was doing some tests year-in year-out and getting diamonds out of the country,” without the knowledge of the government, he added.”

This is a typical Mugabe-esque move. When he feels that his position is a little confined, he has this habit of coming out with the most spurious allegations.

And as always, the allegations are unsubstantiated. Not that any substantiation would be forthcoming as Mugabe is trying to give himself breathing room.

Whilst Anglo-American will be preparing an answer to these allegations, Mugabe will use the allegation to leave the idea that the diamonds that have been removed from the fields by ZANU PF were actually traded by Anglo-American.

The hundred of thousands (millions?) of dollars worth of diamond deals that have been effected by the illegal trade perpetrated by various high-ranking ZANU PF personages will now be encapsulated by the allegation by Mugabe.

That way, they hope that the questions being asked about the dwindling diamond fields will hit a brick wall.

“The president’s revelation rubbishes reports that diamonds were only discovered in Zimbabwe in 2006 and that they were used to benefit ZANU PF party officials.

A Human Rights Watch report released in June this year and which coincided with the Kimberley Process team’s visit to Zimbabwe claimed that government violently took over diamond fields in Zimbabwe last year and has used the illicit revenues to buy the loyalty of restive soldiers and enrich party leaders.

The HRW report failed to identify Anglo-American’s years of involvement in the diamond field and how it denied Zimbabwe access to a vital resource.”

As things stand at this time, the report by the HRW and the Kimberley Process remain unrecognised and consequently, there has been no action on them.

Mugabe denies that his army have killed any illegal miners, and rejects the accusation that diamonds have been illegally traded. The Kimberley Process has yet to make a decision on whether to suspend Zimbabwe from the diamond market.

“President Mugabe explained the role of the military at Chiadzwa diamond fields.

“We had to clear the area and get it under the occupation of the State. We will invite companies to do the mining. The army was not there to mine but to provide security in the area and to take care of the area until Government got an experienced company to do the mining.

“(The) Ministry of Mines has approved a number of companies to go to that area,” President Mugabe said.”

Mugabe would have us believe that the diamond find is not that big a deal – but we have to remember that his embattled Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono, was able to put figures to the diamond loss in Zimbabwe.

How would that be possible without some inside information?

Why have the army taken over the fields if the potential money spinner weren’t worth the effort?

The allegation that Anglo-American hid the find from the Mugabe administration may be an unsubstantiated allegation, but it strikes me as have been a good idea – if, indeed, it ever happened.

If the diamond find were really as big as thought, Zimbabwe would have been able to buy itself out of purgatory – and there would still be plenty left for the politicians to pilfer.

But Mugabe wants it all - and he wants it now.

Robb WJ Ellis The Bearded Man