20100403
allafrica

Harare — PARLIAMENT is now pushing for a special investigation into Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu's interest in the companies that were controversially given licences to mine the Chiadzwa diamonds after MPs were barred from touring the fields last week.



Mpofu reportedly refused to give members of the parliamentary portfolio committee on Mines and Energy the go-ahead to visit the Canadile diamond storage facilities in Mutare as well as the Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Mining operations in Chiadzwa.

Yesterday the minister became abusive when he was asked to comment on the latest developments saying: "Don't call me, you are an idiot."

The committee led by Guruve South legislator Edward Chindori-Chininga had travelled to Mutare on Tuesday after getting approval from the Home Affairs co-ministers but were told that they could not proceed with the tour without Mpofu's clearance.

Mpofu recently told the same committee that he could not rule out the fact that some of the directors behind the diamond companies were crooks.

He said it was difficult to find a clean diamond investor the world over and there are indications that the MPs already have plans to investigate him for an alleged property-buying spree that began in November last year. The minister has reportedly bought in cash over 27 properties in his hometown of Victoria Falls and in Bulawayo.

The committee was also scheduled to meet the Marange council and families to be relocated from the diamond fields. The team was expected to counsel the affected families.

Meetings scheduled with Manicaland governor Christopher Mushowe also hit a snag after he snubbed the team.

Attempts to get a comment from Chindori-Chininga and the parliament public relations department were futile.

Parliament officials said they had prepared a statement that would be released once approved by Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma.

But sources told The Standard that the police and Ministry of Home Affairs had agreed to the visit, but Mpofu and Mushohwe refused to issue the clearance.

"The Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) prepared all the required letters to request clearance for the committee to visit Chiadzwa responding to a request by the Office of the Clerk of Parliament," said a member of the committee.

"The police could not go ahead without the approval of the Minister of Mines since the reservation of the area was declared in terms of Mines and Minerals act.

"The Minister of Mines refused to give authority for the police to give clearance, yet the Ministry of Home Affairs had agreed."

Parliament officials reportedly spent the whole of Tuesday and Wednesday trying to secure the clearance.

"All the MPs in the committee did not take that lightly, and they are determined to dig the matter to establish what Mpofu could have been trying to hide," said a member of the committee.

"The best way forward is for the full house of Parliament to set up a special committee to investigate the minister, who is also a Member of Parliament.

"This creates unnecessary conflict between parliament and the executive which seems to shield him in the current probe by the committee."

A committee of parliament can only play an oversight role to keep checks on ministers and officials, but cannot investigate an MP for corruption.

Where there are allegations of corruption, parliament sets up a special committee selected and set up by the full House of Assembly to investigate a member.

"The Minister is already making accusations that the committee is on a witchhunt,

"These are just tactics to delay and derail the oversight probe by the committee on Mines and Energy and hopefully continue to create unnecessary friction and conflict between institutions of governance," said the member.

"If you will recall Hon Mpofu created the same conflict and friction between parliament and the executive when he lied before a parliamentary committee on International Trade about Zisco and was found in contempt of parliament and sentenced to a suspended sentence."

The current probe has already established some irregularities in the exploitation of the Chiadzwa diamonds by Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Mining.

Some of the senior officials involved in the project have dubious backgrounds, with some of them having once been prosecuted in Angola and South Africa.