A MASSIVE shake-up is looming at the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamonds Corporation (ZCDC) and Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), which have recently been hit by a spate of controversies.
The Zimbabwe Independent was informed this week that MMCZ acting general manager Masimba Chandavengerwa became the first executive to be affected by the clean-up. He was fired this week.
Chandavengerwa has been acting GM since the untimely death of Tongai Muzenda in a road traffic accident about two months ago.
At ZCDC, marketing manager Enock Moyo was given a retirement notice this week, although his contract was said to be running until 2025.
Government sources said the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, which superintends over ZCDC and MMCZ, wants to bring sanity to the institutions after they were hit by the controversies.
Early this year, ZCDC slipped into a storm after attempts to invest US$400 million for a 33% stake in GDI, a platinum mine.
Mines minister Winston Chitando blocked the proposal after stakeholders protested against it.
Before the current ZCDC executive came into office, the government carried out a similar clean-up, booting out former chief executive officer Morris Mpofu, his board and managers.
- Japan brings cheer to Gokwe
- Commodity price boom buoys GB
- 9 000 farmer field schools on cards
- Biti’s applications for referral to Concourt continues
Keep Reading
MMCZ chairperson Jemister Chininga refused to comment on Chandavengerwa’s dismissal.
“I cannot comment on personal issues, I am sorry,” he said before hanging up.
But a government source said: “There was an instruction from the government to bring sanity at the two institutions following a spate of corruption allegations. Bringing sanity at the two institutions will entail removing most of the top management. This is already in motion.”
Chandavengerwa has since been replaced by Nomsa Moyo, the MMCZ’s corporate affairs manager.
Two months ago, the Independent reported that a parcel of diamonds worth about US$4 million kept as an exhibit for a criminal case allegedly vanished from the MMCZ vaults. The diamonds belonged to an Israeli pilot, Shmuel Kainan Klein, who was arrested on allegations of smuggling in 2011.
Kainan Klein was eventually acquitted in 2012 but failed to secure his diamond parcel.
To date, court records show that the parcel is still in the custody of the State despite various court orders compelling the State to return the diamonds.
Chandavengerwa was acting general manager when the issue was raised by Klein’s attorneys.
On the part of Moyo, despite having argued that he had a running contract to 2025, he was still served with a letter of termination of employment.
“His last day at work was supposed to be August 31 2023, but the ZCDC then suggested that he leaves at the end of the year. There is a push that the majority of management, especially leading technical departments must be cleared out,” a source close to the developments said. “The fate of Moyo, whether to continue serving until December, is still under consideration.”
Efforts to get a comment from ZCDC were futile while the Mines minister did not respond to questions.
Chandavengerwa did not respond to questions sent to him.
