Posted on 12/07/2006 7:04:19 PM PST by blam
Mugabe moves to seize British diamond field
By Peta Thornycroft in Marange
Last Updated: 2:10am GMT 08/12/2006
A British-listed mining company, the first to invest in bankrupt Zimbabwe since the political crisis began, was ordered off its valuable diamond claim yesterday.
Dirk Benade: watched diggers
While President Robert Mugabe has seized thousands of white-owned farms since 2000 he has, up until now, left mining property alone.
The claim, an extraordinary chunk of ancient tribal land in south eastern Zimbabwe, may be one of the richest diamond fields found in recent years.
And the Zimbabwe government wants it.
African Consolidated Resources plc, with about 1,000 claims in Zimbabwe, listed in London in June and says it was granted title by the Ministry of Mines.
The order to leave the dry, poverty-stricken Marange district, about 200 miles south east of Harare, comes after months of drama.
When rumours of diamonds spread during the summer, thousands flocked there from all over Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries in what may have been the largest diamond rush in Africa in the last 100 years.
Company officials estimate £120 million of diamonds were dug out by desperate people over the last few months. Dirk Benade, 57, an ACR geologist, saw it all. As the hordes massed, they dug deep holes within a metre of one another.
There were no toilet facilities, people were buying water with diamonds and sleeping in the holes which they also used as latrines. The air was thick with flies.
"Between 6,000 and 15,000 people moved one million tonnes of earth by hand in a 1.4 sq mile area in a month. World class machinery couldn't have moved what they did," said Mr Benade.
"One man was murdered for diamonds in the hills behind us. And a woman died after a huge Baobab tree fell on her after soil around its roots had been dug away," Sabo Sauke, 31, told The Daily Telegraph, the first Western newspaper to reach the area since the rush began.
Mr Sauke, like all the diggers, was pressed to sell his stones to the state's Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe at a fraction of their real value.
As the hygiene conditions continued to deteriorate, Tinos Rusere, the deputy mining minister, went to the site on September 25 and told swarms of diggers to carry on mining and sell their stones to the government.
Dealers from neighbouring South African also appeared, offering better prices.
ACR has built roads and refurbished dams for the local community and, when the diggers were finally moved out of the area by police last week, the company began sifting gravel to estimate how much had been looted.
But yesterday came the eviction order which the company is challenging in court. Andrew Cranswick, 44, ACR's chief executive, said: "I don't believe Zimbabwe would allow illegal seizure of claims without due process."
Zim Ping.
If I know anything about the British is that they will ultimatley say, " Please roll me over and stick it in my bum before you steal everything I own."
They made the investment AFTER Mugabe took over?
Hate the looters, but damn, people that stupid are almost asking for it.
Thank you sir. May I have another?
Deserves anything that happens to it for dealing with that gang of thugs.
Hope the lads left behind some "boom-booms" in the hole.
Naive as well as stupid. LOL!
Quote of the month:
"I don't believe Zimbabwe would allow illegal seizure of claims without due process."
Yeah, right.
Other popular beliefs:
"I don't think John Kerry will say anything stupid in 2007."
"I think the Democrats will act in a spirit of bipartisanship next year."
"Richard Gere's next movie will make a big profit."
Andrew Cranswick, 44, ACR's chief executive, said: "I don't believe Zimbabwe would allow illegal seizure of claims without due process."
Bawhwhahahhahhhahha now that is funny.
Pet the croc, feed the croc, pet the croc, feed the croc....
I suppose Mr. Cranswick's venture was on the menu...go figure.
I was at the L.A. passport office recently and picked up a pamphet of the countries the the U.S. government advises be avoided, Nearly every African country was listed.
THe brits used to kick major ass when someone tried crap like this. Now I rather think you may be correct.
That's too bad, much of Africa is wonderful to visit.
Somebody should move to seize Mugabe. Whatever happened to companies like Executive Outcomes who used to deal with thugs like Bobby and Gracie?
I'm sure you are correct. It listed the crimes of each country that tourists are in danger of. The usally stuff. Robbery, muggings, rape, murder. Kind of sounds like L.A..
"Andrew Cranswick, 44, ACR's chief executive, said: "I don't believe Zimbabwe would allow illegal seizure of claims without due process."
I was wondering what kind of a Brit would invest in Zimbabwe. Apparently, one of Monte Python's "urban idiots".
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