Two events marked the end of February, the first drew world attention, the second was little noticed. The first, of course, was Pope Benedict XVI’s abdication; the second was Robert Mugabe’s 89th birthday - two events that underscore the difference between responsibility and denial. As you probably know, Pope Benedict was moved to abdicate by his fear that at age 85 he was no longer able to fully discharge his responsibilities as leader of one of the world’s great faiths. On the other hand, Mugabe, chief executive of Zimbabwe for the last 33 years, has made it clear that he has no intention of stepping down. Most will see Benedict’s decision as positive; while those of us who follow events in Zimbabwe can only see Mugabe’s continuation in power as a tragedy for the people of that country.
If you’re not acute to Zimbabwean affairs, let me bring you up to speed. In the 1960s a white dominated country, Rhodesia, came into being to the north of the Republic of South Africa. The former colonial power, Britain, the U.S. and the U.N. refused to recognize the new country, demanding voting rights for its black African majority. The black majority took direct action; and a civil war of more than a decade’s duration erupted in the country. When, in 1980, the smoke cleared, Mugabe emerged as the newly anointed Zimbabwe’s first prime minister, and after 1987, the country’s president. To refer to him as the nation’s ‘ruler’ is not unwarranted; and the ensuing slide into economic disaster as the result of corrupt and coercive politics only underscore’s Lord Acton’s observation that, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." So it has been with Mugabe.
The CIA World Fact Book addresses the current situation in Zimbabwe as follows. “ Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; some victims of forced prostitution are subsequently transported across the border to South Africa where they suffer continued exploitation; Zimbabwean men, women, and children are subjected to forced labor in agriculture and domestic service in rural areas, as well as domestic servitude and sex trafficking in cities and towns; children are also utilized in the commission of illegal activities, including gambling and drug smuggling. The Government of Zimbabwe does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government did not report investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of trafficking cases and continued to rely on an international organization to provide law enforcement training, coordinate victim care and repatriation, and lead prevention efforts.” For the U.S. Government and the European Union these behaviors have raised a cautionary flag. In 2003 both the U.S. and the E.U. imposed trade sanctions on Zimbabwe; but not on the country as a whole so much as on particular individuals - who just happen to be ‘important’ Mugabe supporters.
Alan Martin, research director of Partnership Africa Canada, recently observed of those sanctioned, “The sanction list is a pretty small one, and it’s very targeted. It is limited to people who are accused of serious human rights abuses or corruption. It’s a pretty hard process to get on that list. It’s not something that’s done willy-nilly. Most of these people are known criminals or murderers.” And it is Marange diamonds that have brought affairs in Zimbabwe sharply into focus in the jewelry business. In short, the Marange mines are owned and operated, using coercively exploited labor, by the “criminals and murderers” Alan Martin spoke of; and they do so with the tacit consent of Mugabe’s government.
While the governments of most African states (many of which have earned, in varying degrees, international opprobrium) officially view American and European sanctions as ‘illegal’, the sanctions are currently limiting the shipment of Marange ‘blood diamonds’ into international trade. Though some in the World Diamond Council argue that, as the important shippers won’t ship Marange diamonds, the sanctions actually make tracking them more difficult, Jewelers of America (an important trade organization) supports the sanctions; and this is telling. Mugabe may be in denial about the character of his government and its supporters, but the thugs in his entourage are so offensive to the U.S. and E.U. jewelry communities that the sanctions will likely stay in force until significant reforms have ousted Mugabe’s thug supporters from their privileged bastions of power.
Needless to say, I’m proud of our government’s position; and our premier diamond brand, Hearts On Fire, is exclusively sourced from DeBeers - now one of the ‘good guys’. The Government of Botswana (well regarded for its democratic character - check it out in the CIA World Fact Book) is both an important share holder in DeBeers and the source of about half of its diamonds. This means our diamonds have been mined with the honest, fairly paid labor deserved by an earnest token of your love. So check us out on the web at hurstsberwynjewelers.com, then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment with us - the uncommon jeweler and your best source for beautiful diamonds.
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