Ray Nkosi | As the probe into the missing $15 billion diamond money deepens former Mines secretary Francis Gudyanga has told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy, led by MP Temba Mliswa that he lives in fear for his life.

Gudyanga spoke before the committee yesterday with the Central Intelligence Organisation’s former boss Happyton Bonyongwe also giving evidence that the dreaded spy agency owned shares had 50% shareholding at Kusena Mine in Chiadzwa, with the other half belonging to ZMDC.

Said Gudyanga; “I cannot disclose anything because I was threatened.”

“It affects me because since I resigned, I have been arrested three times and the issues are at the courts.”

The local Newsday also quotes Bonyongwe saying, “The context of participation of the President’s Office into mining has to be understood in the context of the economic situation we were going through as a country, where there were things that needed funding and Treasury could not fund us and they found it necessary to undertake mining operations to raise funds.”

Bonyongwe said they entered into a joint venture with China International Fund, which brought in mining equipment worth $10 million.

“In total, we mined 18 981,99 carats at Kusena and these were sold by ZMDC and realised $1 120 906,08, but the money never came to the CIO and when it was time to consolidate the mines, we left,” he said.