No pay for army until diamond cash arrives

The Zimbabwean prime minister’s party has said it can’t pay the military until revenues from the nation’s eastern diamond fields, largely sealed off by troops, reach state coffers.

Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party yesterday said the finance ministry it controls in the coalition government isn’t receiving money promised from diamond sales.

The national treasury “is yet to receive a cent” from the biggest mining company that is staffed by former military and security officials, the Movement for Democratic Change said.

The defence ministry has said it needs cash for soldiers who are going hungry and to fund a recruitment drive for an additional 5,000 men.

Defence officials loyal to president Robert Mugabe have threatened violence, the MDC said. Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed to send army generals to the finance ministry to force minister Tendai Biti to meet the military’s demands, it said.

Mr Biti has said he had been promised $600 million (£386m) this year in diamond revenues but received only about $30m between January and March.

Last month, he criticised what he called the militarisation of diamond mining and said the company Anjin remitted none of the $75m in diamonds it was estimated to have sold this year.