Thursday, June 10, 2010

Chicanery and Mr Chikane

Life moves along here in Zimbabwe but nothing changes. It was reported yesterday that Senator Ian Kay was arrested (again). This time for being in possession of expired drugs. The drugs we are told are vitamin supplements that were supplied to him by an NGO. Whether they are ‘expired’ or ‘past their sell by date’ is not clear. But it is bitterly cold here again and no doubt Ian had a cold night in the Marondera cells. Ian Kay is an MDC Senator and has experienced the physical wrath of ZANU PF before, having been severely beaten a few years ago and none of the perpetrators ever brought to court. The ZANU PF war against the MDC, it would seem is once again clearly being waged with the usual vigour that precedes any election. Are we to have elections sooner rather than later?

The Kimberley Process has had their man in Africa here in Zimbabwe, Mr Abbey Chikane. Stories emanating from the Zimbabwe Independent and the overseas press suggest that Mr Chikane has become another of ‘Mugabe’s Wives’ who does as he is told. During his investigations into whether or not Zimbabwe’s Chiadzwa diamond fields are behaving as they should in terms of the KP rules, Chikane was provided with a document by a local civic group leader, Farai Maguwu which is said to have originated with the Zimbabwe National Army. In next to no time the CIO went to Maguwu’s house to arrest him. Maguwu jumped out of the back window and escaped but his relatives were not so lucky. They were arrested, beaten and tortured in an attempt to get them to reveal Maguwu’s whereabouts. Maguwu gave himself up to prevent further abuse of his relatives. Now he is in jail charged with giving false information to Chikane. Chikane explains it all. He was handed a ‘Top Secret’ document from a compromised source so he immediately handed it over to the Zimbabwe National Army as being in possession of the document could have resulted in his arrest. Now Chikane tells the world that the Zimbabwe National Army, formerly accused of murdering hundreds of peasants in an around the Chiadzwa diamond fields, are the appropriate body to ‘guard’ the diamond fields to prevent illegal dealing in diamonds, and the Chiadzwa diamond authorities are adhering to the KP rules. Who really believes this chicanery, I wonder?

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