An inquiry was conducted by the portfolio committee on mines and energy in Zimbabwe in the diamond mining sector between 2009 and 2013 with the intention of holding the executive to account. In spite of the fact that standing order 167 empowers the committee to summon anyone to appear before the committee for a hearing except the president, Mbada and Canadile miners initially refused to attend the committee hearings and only attended after the committee had invoked section 9 of the Privileges, Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act. In their report presented in parliament in June 2013, the Chindori Chininga led committee indicated that the executive was not willing to be held accountable by parliament. It was also mentioned in the report, that the ministry of mines discouraged mining companies from attending committee hearings during that time. Furthermore the committee also highlighted that they were on two occasions denied entry into the diamond fields by state security agencies in 2010. When they were finally granted permission into Chiadzwa in 2012, security operatives denied them the right to meet with communities impacted by mining operations for “security reasons”, said the report. The committee unearthed serious irregularities in the selection process of joint venture partners, corporate governance systems in the joint venture companies and the mining contracts signed by Government in all mining ventures in Marange.
