Zimbabwe’s parliamentary committee on mines is on Wednesday expected to press former president Robert Mugabe to give evidence about the disappearance of diamond revenues amounting to $15 billion during his rule.
The mines committee led by independent legislator Temba Mliswa, says it will conduct the hearing at Mugabe’s Harare mansion commonly known as the Blue Roof.
Mliswa says the move follows previous failed attempts to summon the former president to parliament to discuss the diamond saga, which Mugabe made public before he was removed from power last November by the military and mainly Zanu PF lawmakers.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba and Mugabe were not available for comment.
Non-governmental organizations and political observers say Mugabe is expected to blame Zimbabwe’s military for plundering diamonds in Chiyadzwa, Manicaland province.
Farayi Maguwu, executive director at the Centre for Natural Resource Governance and doctoral student at the University of Kwazulu Natal Centre for Civil Society, said Mugabe is also expected to attack Mnangagwa, his deputy Retired General Constantino Chiwenga and others who toppled him though he may take precautionary measures not to spill the beans on the role he played in plundering the nation’s resources.
