On one hand, the untiring Network Africa Germany reported 23.7 that the website “Africa in Detail” (part of the Gates Foundation financed “Our World in Data”) often announces good news out-of-Africa: the downturn in infant mortality, that more children go to school and longer, reduction of illiteracy rate, economic growth in some countries, success in fighting sickness.
On the other hand, corruption is endemic in some countries – true, that is by no means confined to Africa! Yet a startling article published 24.7 in “The Zimbabwean” can’t be ignored. It spoke of a Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) report regarding Zimbabwe’s 2013 election. This claimed the ruling Zanu (PF) party had bribed the then head of SADC, Malawi President Joyce Banda and other SADC leaders with US$990 million to support its campaign before, during and following the 2013 elections. This represented so-called “regional diplomacy, while 67% of the total campaign budget of US$2.01 billion covered the presidential campaign. Allegedly Zanu (PF) won, thereby ending the coalition with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). MDC’s loss of power seemed incredible at the time.
To make sense of this, one must remember that in 2007 MDC leaders and supporters suffered brutal police assaults, followed by country-wide political arson. The controversial run-off in the presidential elections which Robert Mugabe claimed as his win against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, resulted in SADC’s intervention and the uneasy Zanu (PF) -MDC coalition brokered by the then SA President.
Zanu (PF) was determined to wrest control in the 2013 elections. The CNRG researches have unearthed Joint Operations Command (JOC) and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) documents how this was done. Chinese firms Anjin and Mbada Diamonds provided US$800m in exchange for tax-free diamond mining rights. Diamonds (some 36 000 carats) were flown out secretly, sold and the proceeds reverted to something entitled Special Interest Projects (elections). Precise details were given in the report, as were the names of two functionaries.
As if this was not enough, the violent 2007 presidential run-off was similarly linked to illicit funding, according to a Zanu (PF) informant. A quick US$175m sale of a platinum mine to Central African Mining and Exploration Company (CAMEC) was arranged for Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation by Billy Rautenbach. The latter, a Zimbabwe businessman, received US$75m and other concessions for his pains. Camec’s purchase was worth US$1 billion within a month. In other words, Zimbabwe lost US$825 million due to the rushed sale.
The unravelling of this obfuscation might be dismissed as irrelevant and history by the current government of Emmerson Mnangagwa, which claims to fight corruption. However, Mnangagwa was part of the 2007 and 2013 governments and the JOC. Moreover, corruption is still rampant. As the brave great Zimbo journalist Hopewell Chin’ono remarked unless his country reins in this curse – it is going nowhere. ends