BLACKGATE investments, a firm that last week lost the disputed Ran Gold Mines near Bindura, has mounted fresh attempts to reclaim the asset, submitting explosive dossiers to anti-corruption agencies alleging ‘mass corruption, racketeering and bribery’ at the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
The dossiers, which were submitted to the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) and the Special Anti — Corruption Unit
(Sacu), raised previous concerns that Mines ministry officials set in the
vortex of problems dogging the administration and allocation of minerals claims
across the country.
Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba told
businessdigest three weeks ago that the presidency was also concerned by rising
cases of disputes over goldfields.
Mines minister, Winston Chitando ruled last week that the
gold mine at the heart of confrontations between mining executive Jack
Murehwa’s G&P Industries and Ran Mines and businesswoman, Angeline
Munyeza’s Blackgate Investments belonged to the Murehwa consortium.
But Munyeza, leaving no stone unturned in the battle in
which she claims is replete with political muscle flexing, took the case to
Zacc after approaching SACU in December.
She said a total clean-up was long overdue to rid the
ministry of ‘selfish self-interest’ which could be underpinning massive looting
of Zimbabwe’s minerals.
“The anomalies and irregularities . . . which we strongly
allege the ministry is perpetuating along with other interested parties include
bribery, collusion, racketeering and an appalling reluctance to uphold the
constitutional processes of both the ministry and country,” she said in the
dossier addressed to Zacc boss Loyce Matanda-Moyo.
“We are being prejudiced from what is rightfully ours and
we can evidently assume that we are victims of an invisible hand of a corrupt,
nefarious and collusion scheming with the sole objective of looting and
plundering the mineral resource of this country recklessly. We ardently believe
that this web of racketeering characterised by abuse of power, bribe taking and
pure malice has been perpetuated by ministry officials, private individuals and
politicians who have nothing but selfish interest, thus it has to be busted and
exposed . . . through those evidence anchored revelations . . . the blatant
acts of corruption and irregularities,” Munyeza said.
businessdigest understands that Zacc has allocated the
dossier to investigators to strike the bottom of corruption claims by
Blackgate.
However, Charamba said the President’s Office was yet to
receive the SACU dossier.
Munyeza said Chitando should have sought opinion of the
attorney general’s office.
Blackagate, she said, was disturbed because Chitando had
disregarded the findings of a mining commissioner, who had previously said the
claims belonged to the company.
Chitando has not responded to several questions about the
dispute sent to him.
In his letter handing over the claims to G&P, Chitando
said: “The ground that Blackgate pegged was not open to prospecting and pegging
according to Section 31 of the Mines and Minerals Act at the time that
Blackgate purports to have repegged and subsequently registered the claim known
as Kimberley 18, which belongs to RAN Mine and G&P Industries. In light of
these findings, the certificates issued to Blackgate Investments were issued in
error. I hereby cancel certificates of registration numbers 36 375 and 37 353
respectively”.
But Munyeza rejected the ruling.
She accused Chitando of slipping into contempt by avoiding
a key Supreme Court order in coming up with the determination.
Documents seen by businessdigest indicated that Blackgate
holds permits demonstrating ownership to the goldfields, which have now been
cancelled.
The Zimbabwe Independent has reported that in a 76-page
letter submitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December, Blackgate claimed
that G&P Industries had warned them to tread carefully as the asset
belonged to the family of the late Robert Mugabe.
The letter claimed that after Mugabe unceremoniously left
power in 2017, G&P summersaulted and claimed that Mnangagwa had taken over
the asset, which collapsed in 1999 before attracting armies of artisanal
miners.
G&P has indicated that it has a US$6,5 million war
chest to rebuild Ran Mines, which made headlines in November, after its shafts
collapsed under heavy flooding as torrential rains swept through Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Independent
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