By Paul Nyathi|Former Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, will not be spared time to appear before parliament to explain how the Zimbabwe Republic Police got to be involved in diamonds mining in Chiyadzwa.

Chihuri failed to attend hearings before the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Mining Development last week after he wrote a letter to the committee saying that he was unable to attend the hearings as he was receiving medical treatment outside the country.

Committee Chairman Temba Mliswa told journalists that the committee would reschedule Dr Chihuri’s hearing. 

“The former Commissioner-General of Police has written to Parliament to say he is not feeling well and that he is out of the country,” he said. “He expressed his readiness to come, so we will have to determine when he can come.”

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) allegedly partnered a private firm, Gye Nyame, to extract diamonds in Chiadzwa.

A fortnight ago, Dr Chihuri’s former deputies — Godwin Matanga, who is now ZRP Commissioner-General, and Deputy Commissioner-General Innocent Matibiri — told the committee that they were not aware that the law enforcement agency was extracting diamonds in Chiadzwa.

Former Home Affairs Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo and his former secretary, Mr Melusi Matshiya, told the same committee that they were also not aware that the police were involved in diamond mining.