{"id":4420,"date":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amabhungane.org\/amabhungane\/stories\/moz-villagers-digging-for-rubies-shot-and-left-to-die\/"},"modified":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T00:00:00","slug":"moz-villagers-digging-for-rubies-shot-and-left-to-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/moz-villagers-digging-for-rubies-shot-and-left-to-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Moz villagers digging for rubies &#8216;shot and left to die&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Estacio Valio and Gesbeen Mohammad<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This investigation was partially supported with funding from the African Investigative Publishing Collective in partnership with ZAM magazine, as part of their transnational investigations series<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>The press ombud has directed\u00a0<em>Mail &amp; Guardian<\/em>\u00a0to apologise to mining company\u00a0Gemfields\u00a0and its Mozambican partner Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) for this article.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amabhungane.org\/stories\/apology-gemfields-mozambican-ruby-mine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> Read the full apology here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>South African business moguls Christo Wiese and Brian Gilbertson loom large behind Gemfields, an &#8220;ethical&#8221; gemstone company accused of operating in a &#8220;militarised&#8221; zone in rural northern Mozambique, where\u00a0forces protecting the mine\u00a0have allegedly beaten villagers and killed illegal miners.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My son was shot by the men of Rapid Intervention Force,&#8221; Geronimo Potia says.<\/p>\n<p>His son, Antonio Geronimo, an 18-year-old artisanal miner, scoured the earth for rubies in Namanhumbir, in Mozambique\u2019s northeastern Montepuez district. The family relied on mining for their livelihoods. Antonio was fatally shot in April last year, allegedly by the government\u2019s security agents, while he was mining.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/cdn.mg.co.za\/content\/documents\/2016\/03\/15\/20160311gemfieldsplclettertomg.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gemfields responds to the article in a letter to the <em>Mail &amp; Guardian<\/em> editor<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Guards protect the ruby resources for the mine\u2019s owner, Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) \u2013 a joint venture between United Kingdom-based company Gemfields and its Mozambican partner,\u00a0Mwiriti Limitada.<\/p>\n<p>Forty percent of the world\u2019s rubies are expected to come from this 336km2 concession. Only MRM is permitted to produce and sell rubies from this region. It is a lucrative investment; the company holds an exclusive 25-year mining licence over the area, granted by the Mozambican government in November 2011.<\/p>\n<p>The Johannesburg-listed Pallinghurst Resources, a mining investment group, is Gemfields\u2019s largest shareholder. In turn, the group\u2019s largest shareholder is South African retail billionaire Christo Wiese. Pallinghurst is chaired by South African Brian Gilbertson, a former BHP Billiton chief executive. Gemfields\u2019s chief executive, Ian Harebottle, is also South African.<\/p>\n<p>Wiese, Pallinghurst and Gilbertson did not want to respond to questions (see below: \u201c <strong>Gem firm\u2019s SA roots run deep<\/strong>\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>MRM began operations in this ruby deposit in 2012. By October last year, the operations had yielded MRM\u2019s 75% majority shareholder, Gemfields, more than $122-million in revenue at auction.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields, a world leader in gemstones, formed MRM in partnership with a number of powerful individuals in Mozambique\u2019s ruling Frelimo party. Samora Machel Jr, the son of Mozambique\u2019s first president, chairs MRM\u2019s board. The company\u2019s executive director, Raime Pachinuapa, is the son of Raimundo Pachinuapa, a former senior guerrilla commander of Frelimo during its war against Portuguese colonial rule.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields has adopted actress Mila Kunis as its brand ambassador. In a promotional video, she glorifies Gemfields for its ethical approach to gemstone mining. \u201cThey take so much pride in how socially and ethically responsible they are. I do believe that they believe it,\u201d she said in a previous interview. Kunis did not respond to questions.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.mg.co.za\/content\/documents\/2016\/03\/11\/graphic-rubies-hzntl-980px.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>\u2018Militarised zone\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With various task forces protecting MRM\u2019s interests by guarding the ruby deposit against anyone trying to mine there, the region has been turned into a\u00a0\u201cmilitarised zone\u201d, villagers say.<\/p>\n<p>In Namanhumbir, where Antonio Geronimo lost his life in 2014, the Rapid Intervention Force (FIR), part of the Special Forces section of the Mozambican army, helped MRM ensure that unlicensed miners did not enter the concession area. FIR agents were equipped with AK-47s. They were recently replaced by another government authority, the National Resources Protection Force. About 35 NRPF agents patrol the mine carrying firearms.<\/p>\n<p>Mozambican police have also been known to intervene in the ruby fields.<\/p>\n<p>The provincial police headquarters responsible did not respond to written questions.<\/p>\n<p>Montepuez chief prosecutor Pompilio Xavier\u00a0Uazanguiua\u00a0said: \u201cI don\u2019t know why, but we have [state security forces] protecting the mine. In my point of view, it should be the company\u2019s duty to create its own security programme to protect the mine.\u201d Gemfields argues that government law enforcement agents are present \u201cto uphold the law of the land and to protect the national interests of the country\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to state forces, MRM uses a private security company, Arkhe Risk Solutions, a Mozambican subsidiary of South Africa\u2019s Omega Risk Solutions. Omega has security operations throughout Africa and the Middle East. Arkhe\u2019s team of 470 security operatives ensures that illegal miners are kept out of the ruby fields.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Men of machete<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gemfields says fewer than 3% of Arkhe personnel carry firearms. But locals call the guards <em>nakatanas<\/em> (men of machete), and claim Arkhe security agents beat them up and shoot at them.<\/p>\n<p>Arkhe did not comment on these allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields also employs more than 100 other security personnel who, it says, are not armed.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields disputes that the area has become militarised. Spokesperson Gillian Langmead said: \u201cOur security employees and the Arkhe contractors patrol the MRM concession area to protect it against illegal mining, and to monitor for and report any other\u00a0illegal activity. They are required to do so in a trained and professional manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the villagers of Montepuez suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes full of tears, Geronimo Potia recalls how his son was shot and left to die on the red soil of Namanhumbir. His body was carried home by his friends, foreign ruby smugglers, who collected money to pay for the burial and support the Potia family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for them, my son\u2019s body would have been left there; we wouldn\u2019t have had money for the burial,\u201d says Potia, sitting in his wattle-and-daub home in a village close to Namanhumbir.\u00a0\u201cThe company did not help us; the police did not help us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>&#8220;<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>In 11 [other cases] we\u2019re still gathering evidence \u2026 linked to the police&#8230;\u00a0&#8220;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Potia was afraid to report the killing of his son to the police, believing he could suffer the same fate. The minister of interior, Jaime Monteiro, who is in charge of the FIR, failed to respond to questions.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields\u2019s Langmead said the company was not aware of the killing, \u201cbut we will, of course, do our best to investigate [it] thoroughly and promptly if you are able to provide further information\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But she also said Gemfields was aware of a recent\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/africainvestigates\/2015\/12\/mozambique-gem-wars-151210075320384.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Al Jazeera documentary<\/a> in which Potia described his son\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>There are other accounts of artisanal miners being shot and left to die in MRM territory.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutor\u00a0Uazanguiua\u00a0said\u00a0two FIR officers and an NRPF officer\u00a0have been convicted for shooting and killing people on MRM\u2019s ruby deposit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 11 [other cases] we\u2019re still gathering evidence \u2026 linked to the police, FIR and the Environment Protection Force, who are all involved in patrolling the mine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Gemfields\u2019s Harebottle said he was aware of one shooting by Arkhe staff: \u201c[The shooter] was arrested and after investigation was definitely found to be innocent, because a large group of people were attacking him with machetes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>&#8220;&#8230;\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>access to ill-gotten rubies is impeded by\u00a0MRM\u2019s presence&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Langmead acknowledged two incidents \u201cof shooting of illegal miners by security personnel contracted to MRM, including Arkhe\u201d, but said the police had investigated and cleared the accused. She also referred to two cases where FIR agents were convicted for shooting and killing miners; it is not clear whether these were among the convictions listed by\u00a0Uazanguiua.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGemfields plc categorically denies the inference that it condones or sanctions acts of violence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Langmead suggested allegations of violence at the mine were \u201cat times instigated by unscrupulous dealers and middlemen whose access to ill-gotten rubies is impeded by\u00a0MRM\u2019s presence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But a visibly angry\u00a0Uazanguiua\u00a0objected: \u201cThe people are being violently violated. They are being brutally beaten \u2026 the numbers speak\u00a0for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Villagers alleged that the nakatanas, \u201cworking for the whites\u201d, use wooden sticks to beat them on their knees and other joints so that they can\u2019t work.<\/p>\n<p>A teenager said he \u201cwas beaten by the whites 20 times on my buttocks with a baton\u201d, and that his friends had to help him walk to hospital. He and others claimed that, when they are caught digging, the guards also take their money and make them clean their office.<\/p>\n<p>Uazanguiua\u00a0suggests \u201cthe company should talk to the people who work with it so they can stop harassing the people\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It is not always clear who the perpetrators are until the investigation has been concluded.\u00a0Uazanguiua\u00a0believes that MRM has a responsibility to investigate alleged incidents on its profitable concession. MRM insists it does investigate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>\u2018Shooting to make them afraid\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A video produced by the Gemological Institute of America features a vivid scene of apparently illegal miners on MRM\u2019s concession running away as shots ring out.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is a clip from the <\/em><a style=\"font-size: 15px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Dy5pzRWXkI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">original video, which can be found on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The gemologist presenting the film says: \u201cThey\u2019re shooting [inaudible] to make them afraid.\u201d An MRM employee says: \u201cWe are fighting them seriously.\u201d When the dust settles, the presenter says: \u201cThey\u2019re coming with [an earth mover] in order to remove all the mining pits so the miners don\u2019t come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed MRM has ordered state forces to use \u201call means\u201d necessary to keep illegal miners away from its territory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to follow orders, so we shoot and sometimes we end up accidentally hitting some of them in the confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>No one dying &#8220;in MRM&#8217;s name&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gemfields stated \u201cthat artisanal miners are not being shot \u2018because they are mining in MRM territory\u2019 and security forces are not killing them \u2018in MRM\u2019s name\u2019\u2009\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In the villages near the ruby deposit, many people recounted incidents similar to the one involving Antonio Geronimo. The Pacores of Namanhumbir lived off the proceeds of rubies their son, Manuel Artur, mined in the area. Manuel was shot on the same day that Antonio died. Fellow miners came to tell his father, Artur Pacore, that members of the FIR patrol had shot his son in the stomach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said he dragged himself out of the ruby deposit and crawled for about 100m. Then he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pacore said he was too afraid to report his son\u2019s death to the police.<\/p>\n<p>Langmead said the company was not aware of the killing of Manuel.<\/p>\n<p>Artisanal miners believe they also face mortal danger from MRM\u2019s earth-moving machines.<\/p>\n<p>Abdul claimed that his cousin was buried alive. \u201cHe was working with two others in a three-metre hole. They were about 100m away from us, still working, when I and others went back home. We hid when we heard the machines coming. After a while we went back to look for them. Then we saw the machines. They were filling in the hole on top of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Langmead denied this account. She confirmed that the company does fill in illegal diggings, but says \u201ca stringent process has been put in place to ensure that no MRM \u2018digging machine\u2019 has ever killed an illegal miner, whether by accident or intentionally\u201d.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Original video:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christo Wiese and Brian Gilbertson loom large behind Gemfields, an &#8220;ethical&#8221; company accused of operating in a &#8220;militarised&#8221; zone in rural Mozambique.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}