Armed robbers raid Mwadui diamond

[Kafara]

sijui hii ya tansort iliishia wapi. tansort inamilikiwa 100% na serikali lakini watu wachache sana (ni akina nani?) wana access na vitabu vyao vya mahesabu masikini tanzania yangu

Probe report on Dar diamond trade to be tabled
Among the contracts that are expected to spark controversy is the sale of the government's 25 per cent stake in Williamson Diamond Ltd for only $180,521. WILFRED EDWIN reports.
A report by the probe committee of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee that in 2004 investigated the activities of the Tanzania Diamond Sorting Office (Tansort) and its London Trading Centre will be re-tabled in parliament.

The long-awaited report, which is expected to dramatically change the way the diamond trade is conducted in Tanzania, was not tabled in time in the last session last year, for reasons that are still unclear.

The current leader of the opposition in the House, Hamad Rashid Hamad, who was the chairman of the probe committee that carried out the investigations, told The EastAfrican last week in Dar es Salaam, "I expect the report to be re-tabled for discussion in the next parliament sitting."

"I have already written to the House Speaker on the matter," added Mr Hamad, who was also the chairman of the PAC in the past parliament. The PAC created the probe committee after it found that answers given by the accounts officials from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals "were not satisfactory."

It was tasked to investigate Tansort's activities and the method of payment of royalties emanating from diamond sales. The 10-member committee started its work on May 12, 2004, and by July 21 the same year had finished examining documents and interviewing various public and private-sector officials. It also visited and inspected diamond mines in Mwadui as well as Tansort's London offices.

Among those interviewed by the sub-committee were the then Commissioner for Minerals, Gray Mwakalukwa, Commissioner of Customs George Lauwo, Commissioner of Income Tax Patrick Kassera, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania Daudi Balali, and Williamson Diamond Ltd managing director Tony Guthrie. Others were Permanent Secretary in the Treasury Gray Mgonja, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Patrick Rutabanzibwa, and an official from the Lawyer’s Environment Action Team, Tundu Lissu.

The tabling of the report is expected to create a heated debate when parliamentarians begin sifting through some of the damaging procedures and flawed contracts that analysts say the government entered into.

It will also act as a litmus test for the new parliament as well as the new government of President Jakaya Kikwete, who has promised to look carefully into dubious contracts entered into with foreign companies in which national interests were not safeguarded.

Among the contracts that are expected to spark controversy is the sale of the government's 25 per cent stake in Williamson Diamond Ltd for only $180,521, although the company owns land, diamond mines and infrastructure of considerable value.

While the mineral policy of Tanzania, which was formulated in 1997, stresses private sector-led mineral development – the major roles of the government being to regulate, promote and facilitate – its implementation leaves much to be desired.

Currently, the country lacks a comprehensive approach to monitoring the diamond trade – including monitoring of quality quantities and size declared, which can make a significant difference to the final price tag. Analysts say this laxity has greatly constrained the mineral sector's contribution to GDP despite Tanzania being endowed with large deposits of high-value minerals.

While the recent reforms have seen the entry of six gold mining companies into the sector between 1999 and 2005, with capital investments amounting to $1.5 billion – making Tanzania the third largest gold mining country in Africa behind South Africa and Ghana – its contribution to GDP as of 2004 was only 3.2 per cent, up from 1.4 per cent in 2003.
According to the annual report of the Bank of Tanzania, this increase, particularly in diamond recoveries, was on account of improvements in production of the gemstones by Williamson Diamond Mines and the commencement of production by El-Hillal Minerals.

The year 2004 saw 303,900 car- ats of diamonds recovered. The gem’s price varies sharply in accordance with size, quality and colour. A pink diamond weighing 19 carats may sell for up to $30,000, while a green diamond of 19 carats without cracks will fetch just $2,500. An ordinary diamond, weighing a carat, of a good shape and colour, sells for between $ 200 and $400.

Mr Hamad told The EastAfrican that the investigations carried out by his committee had revealed that the government was losing hefty sums of money due to the existing poor monitoring of the whole after-mining process.

The report says that the processing of the diamonds before they are handed over to Tansort for sorting is undertaken entirely by Williamson Diamond Ltd.

"What a Tansort officer checks is only the weight and seal – but the existing system does not allow the officer to determine whether the size and quality of diamonds he has received are the same as that sent from the mine," says the report.

The committee, which had specifically investigated the system of internal control in mining, transportation, sorting and selling of diamonds, also discovered that even Tansort itself often fails to undertake sorting in an appropriate manner.

The investigations revealed that Tansort employed three Tanzanians who were not even on the government payroll – one of whom, M. Maulid, has been working in Tansort's London office since 1966. He was expected to retire last year but, due to the irregularities, difficulties were expected in paying his terminal benefits.

source the eastafrican january 23, 2006 http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/23012006/News/news230120063.htm

 

[Kafara]

oops, naona quote hapo juu itawasumbua watu kusoma. samahani kwa usumbufu.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

mzee hii mbona inashtua sana...

 

[Ole]

oops, naona quote hapo juu itawasumbua watu kusoma. samahani kwa usumbufu.

Usijali nimerekebisha.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

hey majina yale yale tena, Gray Mgonja, Rutabanzibwa, ...

 

[DAR si LAMU]

..kitila,

..ideas zilizotolewa,hasa nawe,ni nzuri. tatizo lipo katika utekelezaji!

..kwa mfano,leo hii ukisema yule jamaa hafai kabisa mtaani ni jambazi tena linaua,hebu tulivizie tuliue[sorry for this!],watu watakuitikia na kutoa michango lumbesa!tatizo ni kuwa usiku saa mliyokubaliana unaweza jikuta uko peke yako!

..its frustrating all the time!

..at times dictatorships are good,for the good cause!i'm thinking of pakistani right now!,if only i can erase the recent happenings!

 

[Halisi]

ni taarifa za kutisha ambazo nilikua nazo tokea asubuhi, lakini kwa sababu za kitaalamu nililazimika kuanzisha hii mada kiana.

 

[DAR si LAMU]

ni taarifa za kutisha ambazo nilikua nazo tokea asubuhi, lakini kwa sababu za kitaalamu nililazimika kuanzisha hii mada kiana.

..na hasa ukizifikiria kwa kina!

 

[Halisi]

..na hasa ukizifikiria kwa kina!

HAswaa Dar si Lamu.... maana hili li nchi... japo sikujua kwamba hata zile 25% zilikwisha kuuzwa kwa bei cheeeeeee

 

[Mwafrika wa Kike]

"WATU WASIOJULIKANA" wamevamia almasi wa Mwadui unaomilikiwa kwa ubia kati ya serikali ya Tanzania na kampuni ya Williamson Diamond Limited, na kufanikiwa kupora almasi na silaha moja waliyoipora kwa mlinzi wa mgodi huo.

Thamani halisi ya almasi iliyoporwa haijafahamika pamoja na taarifa ambazo zimepingwa na wafanyakazi na wanaoufahgamu mgodi huo kwamba almasi zilizoporwa ni karati sizizozidi hamisini tu (50 carate).

Tukio hilo limetokea saa nane usiku (0200hrs)saa za Afrika Mashariki usiku wa kuamkia leo (Alhamisi).

Watu hao walipovamia mgodi huo walikwenda moja kwa moja eneo ambalo upo mkanda unaosafirisha mchanga wa almasi kutoka katika mgodi kwenda katika chumba cha kuchambulia (sorting) na kuchukua mchanga huo kisha kuchukua greda la kijiko na kubomoa eneo la kuchambulia almasi na kuchukua zote zilizokuwapo hapo.

Habari zinasema kwamba silaha aliyoporwa mlinzi wa mgodi imepatikana katika mabonde ya vijiji vinavyozunguka mgodi huo. Hakuna taarifa zozote za kukamatwa kwa wahusika wa uporaji huo.

Kamanda wa Polisi mkoani Shinyanga, Shaibu Ibrahim, na wenzake walikuwapo eneo la tukio leo asubuhi lakini taarifa zinasema hakuna mwandishi wa habari aliyeruhusiwa kwenda eneo hilo na hakutolewa taarifa zozote za polisi wala uongozi wa mgodi, labda kesho Ijumaa.

Aliyenisimulia tukio hili alikuwapo eneo hilo leo asubuhi na anashangaa sana inakuaje tukio kama hilo litokee.

Hoja yake ni kwamba upo uwezekano mkubwa wa HUJUMA ZA NDANI YA MGODI ZINAZOFANYWA ili kupunguza faisa inayotokana na mgodi husika.

Serikali inamiliki asilimia 25 ya hisa katika mgodi huo. Nakumbuka Kamati ya Bunge ya Hesabu za serikali (PAC) chini ya Hamad Rashid wa CUF iliwahi kufanya uchunguzi na kubaini kwamba serikali haijawahi kupata mgawo wa faida tokea kukabidhiwa kwa mgodi huo kwa kampuni ya De Beers na wabunge walisema kama hawapati faida mbona hawaondoki? Ndipo sasa ikaanza kuelezwa kwamba kuanzia miaka miwili ama mitatu iliyopita ndio wameanza kupata faida sasa kama utatokea wizi ama uharibifu ama hasara, itabidi serikali ya Tanzania nayo iingie hasara.

PAC pia ilibaini kuwapo kwa uzembe ama ujinga mkubwa na serikali kukiri kwamba fedha zote zinazolipwa na De Beers kwa serikali kwa kazi ya kuchambua almasi zake katika kampuni ya Tansort iliyoko London zilikua zinahifadhiwa katika kampuni ya De Beers. Tansort ni kampuni ya serikali kwa asilimia 100. Kampuni hiyo ilikua haijawahi kukaguliwa kwa miaka yote tokea ianzishwe na mwakilishi wa CAG aliyekwenda London kukagua alizuiwa, hata PAC walikosa ushirikiano wa kutosha kabla ya kurudi na kupiga kelele.

Makusanyo ya Tansort yalikua hayaingizwi Hazina na haijulikani yalitumika vipi. Tansort sasa inasemekana imeanza kukaguliwa na kuingizwa katika hesabu za serikali.

Nitaomba kusahihishwa kwa baadhi ya Kumbukumbu kwa kuwa hapa naandika kutoka kichwani sina mahali pa kurejea maana aliyenisimulia angeshituka kama ningechukua notebook na kalamu. Kwa mwenye source nzuri zaidi atusaidie.

Mkuu Halisi hii ni habari nzito sana...

Asante sana kwa kuitoa maaana muda wote nilikuwa nasoma hii thread kusubiria hii breaking news.

Nashukuru kwa kazi nzuri mnayoifanya huko Tanzania.

Kwa kweli mungu awalinde na kuwatunza wenzetu mnaorisk kila kitu ili kutupatia hizi documents.

 

[Mwafrika wa Kike]

Admin,

Naomba hii thread ibadilishwe title kuwa hilo ambalo Halisi amelitumia sasa hivi kuwa ni breaking news ya wizi katika mgodi wa Mwadui

 

[DAR si LAMU]

HAswaa Dar si Lamu.... maana hili li nchi... japo sikujua kwamba hata zile 25% zilikwisha kuuzwa kwa bei cheeeeeee

..kilevi chako[si lazima iwe pombe!ila be careful!] ni nini?...usitoe jibu,si lazima!

..basi kishikilie kikuliwaze!kwa kuwa hii inatia simanzi haswa!

..itakapofika siku[utaijua,utajulishwa au na kuwajibishwa!]zinduka kwa ulevi,reboot,halafu kata nyasi na magugu hali kadhalika kama huna akili nzuri!ukijasimama and look back,at least utakuwa happy,you did play your part!

..ipo siku.....hata wadai uhuru babu zetu walisema[japo wengine walikufa bila kuuona!]

 

[DAR si LAMU]

Admin,

Naomba hii thread ibadilishwe title kuwa hilo ambalo Halisi amelitumia sasa hivi kuwa ni breaking news ya wizi katika mgodi wa Mwadui

..are we 100% sure this is breaking news!

..its not like i'm doubting halisi,but,utamu utapungua kama itakuwa na mapungufu ya kuiita breaking news!

..all in all,it's something big,if it's what it is!

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

very breaking...

 

[Halisi]

Haya waheshimiwa, THISDAY lililopotea katika mtandao hiloo limeibuka tena na kwa hili sasa wametupa nguvu ya kusema kweli its Breaking News. Nadhani sasa polisi na uongozi wa mgodi wa Mwadui watatoa taarifa rasmi leo. Hebu tusubiri lakini wasije kwenda kuwapiga risasi wananchi wa maeneo ya Maganzo, Idukilo, Kishapu, Muhunze, Kolandoto na maeneo mengine jirani kwani hii inatisha shaka kama watu wa ndani ya mgodi hawahusiki maana kawaida watu wa maeneo jirani wizi wao mkubwa ni mchanga unaomwagwa maeneo jirani na uzio na huwa wanachota mchanga bila kuwa na uhakika kuna nini ndani. Hao wa jana wameingia na kuchukua almasi tena ndani. Nakumbuka niliwahi kuambiwa kwamba sorting kuna camera za usalama na watu wakiingia na kutoka wanapekuliwa kwa kiwango cha juu.

http://www.thisday.co.tz/News/3079.html

Armed robbers raid Mwadui diamond
: Snatch day`s production of gemstones

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

A GANG of armed robbers yesterday made a 2 am raid on the Williamson Diamond Mine in Kishapu District, Shinyanga Region, making off with an unspecified amount of diamonds. The raiders took some mine workers on the night shift, including at least one armed security guard, as hostage, and swiftly collected diamonds mined during the day’s production process.

Police sources in Shinyanga Region told THISDAY that the gang used one of the wheel-loaders at the mine site to break into a diamond sorting room. They paralyzed operations at the mine and ordered the workers to lie on the floor as they went about their business, eventually escaping from the fenced area apparently without any hitch. The mine currently employs 1,116 staff (including contractors) and a small contingent of expatriates from South Africa (about ten in number).

It could not immediately be established how many workers were on night duty when the raid took place. When contacted by THISDAY, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Commissioner of Police Robert Manumba, confirmed the raid on the famous diamond mine also known simply as the Mwadui mine. The DCI said there were no reports of any casualties so far, while preliminary police investigations show that the gang disappeared with at least 50 carats of diamonds.

He said the robbers ambushed the mine area and succeeded in waylaying an armed security guard, taking away his firearm. They then ordered the mine workers to lie on the ground and commandeered a wheel-loader vehicle, which they used to break into the diamond sorting room. The Shinyanga Regional Police Commander, Shaibu Ibrahim, and other senior police officers visited the Mwadui mine yesterday morning but there were no reports of any arrest.

However, police were able to recover the firearm grabbed by the bandits from a mine security guard during the raid. Earlier reports suggested that the gang locked the mine workers and security guards in a 40-foot container near the sorting room during the raid, but DCI Manumba said the police had not received such details.

’’They only hijacked a security guard and first approached the diamond belt before breaking into the sorting room. We have been told that there was only one day’s worth of diamond production stolen, which ranges between 40 to 50 carats,’’ he said. Experts say despite problems of low grade stones, increasing operating costs and the uncertainty of an inferred resource, there remains a great potential in the Mwadui mine. Large gemstone quality diamonds are consistently being recovered, increasing the viability of the mine.

The Williamson diamond mine is a large open pit mine currently about 90 metres deep. Once owned by Dr Williamson and later nationalized by the government, the mine is now majority owned by the South African diamond giant De Beers (75 per cent ownership), with the government retaining the remaining 25 per cent. Operations at the mine are composed of four distinct activities - mining of the pit, re-treatment of tailings to recover missed diamonds, and gravel mining both on the property and adjacent to the property where gravel has been alluvially deposited.

 

[DAR si LAMU]

..nakuheshimia!

..sasa hapa biashara ya private security companies ndio itakuwa vizuri!

..halafu,ndio tuna aminishwa kuwa hawapati sana almasi au? kwa anayejua bei,hivi carat 1 ni bei gani?kwa soko la kimataifa?

 

[Halisi]

Kuna mtu anasema kati ya USD 220 hadi 280 lakini na yeye ni kwa kutumia uzoefu katika biashara ya almasi, huko Shinyanga na Mwanza.. Kwa wanaoweza kupata katika masoko rasmi ya kimataifa watuwekee.

 

[Judy]

I wish walioiba wawe ni waTz waliochoka kuibiwa na hao makaburu. atleast wataenda kujiliwaza wao na familia zao za KITANZANIA.Kuna wakati ule mgodi wa buhemba kuliibiwa gold 90kgs, wezi walijulikana na hata polisi waliwajua lakini hadi leo hawajakamatwa. why. because watu wamechoka kunyanyaswa na wageni wanaofaidi raslimali zetu huku wao wanaishi maisha magumu. so its better waibiwe as long as watakaofaidi ni wanyonge na pesa zitabaki nchini. Thats what I think.

 

[Halisi]

I wish walioiba wawe ni waTz waliochoka kuibiwa na hao makaburu. atleast wataenda kujiliwaza wao na familia zao za KITANZANIA.Kuna wakati ule mgodi wa buhemba kuliibiwa gold 90kgs, wezi walijulikana na hata polisi waliwajua lakini hadi leo hawajakamatwa. why. because watu wamechoka kunyanyaswa na wageni wanaofaidi raslimali zetu huku wao wanaishi maisha magumu. so its better waibiwe as long as watakaofaidi ni wanyonge na pesa zitabaki nchini. Thats what I think.

Wazo lako Judy, lina utata mkubwa maana hatupendi kutetea kuvunja sheria.. Lakini kuna maswali ya kujiuliza, Tanzania kwa miaka zaidi ya 40 hatujafaidi chochote katika mgodi wa Mwadui na sasa haya hospitali iliyokua ikihudumia watu sasa haipo, hata uwanja wa ndege uliokua ukitumika sasa haupo, lakini pia hata mapato hayajulikani na zaidi hao hao wageni ndio wananufaika na baadaye wanajiibia wenyewe kwa wenyewe na Watanzania wanaozunguka wanaambulia kuzamishwa kwenye madimbwi ya tope pale katika maeneo yanayozunguka mgodi huo... Hapo ndipo jibu la wacha waibe ama wasifanye dhambi hiyo linakua tata kidogo... Ndio maana hata hoja ya majambazi wauawawe na kuchomwa moto kuna hakuna jibu la moja kwa moja inabaki, "INATEGEMEA NA MAZINGIRA" na hapa pia "INATEGEMEA NA MAZINGIRA YA TUKIO" hebu tusubiri tusikie.

 

[DAR si LAMU]

Kuna mtu anasema kati ya USD 220 hadi 280 lakini na yeye ni kwa kutumia uzoefu katika biashara ya almasi, huko Shinyanga na Mwanza.. Kwa wanaoweza kupata katika masoko rasmi ya kimataifa watuwekee.

..my calc. inaniambia 280*50 ni 14000!

..ina maana on a good day zinapatikana millioni kama 16 na upuuzi hivi?[1 usd = 1170 tshs]

..kama ni kweli basi haulipi huo mshimo!sasa,wanakaa kungojea nini?