Recently, the office and home of the director of The Centre for Research and Development (CRD) in Zimbabwe – Mr. Farai Maguwu, was raided by the Zimbabwean authorities, who also arrested his nephew and confiscated his documents and possessions, reports say. This follows a series of incidents – a few days prior to the raid, Farai Maguwu had a meeting with KP Monitor Abbey Chikane, but it is not certain in what context was the meeting. Also, some weeks ago, the CRD had issued a report stating around 2,000 carats of diamonds were being smuggled from the Marange mine a day.
Condemning the raid NGO’s working in the area have identified this as one of the many such actions undertaken by Zimbabwean authorities to dominate any body undertaking investigation on the atrocities at the Marange diamond fields and announcing the same, reports say. The recent raid has also led to the Kimberley Process (KP) Civil Society Coalition asking the KP to stop its monitoring arrangements of the Marange mine in Zimbabwe, as its members were being intimidated by the authorities. The NGO has also said that it would not accept any of its members to be intimidated for reasons of their participation in the Kimberley Process.