ZANU PF Won't Act On Gold Mafia - Mamombe

Joana Mamombe, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)’s Member of Parliament for Harare West has said the ruling ZANU PF won’t act on Gold Mafia – individuals who are allegedly smuggling gold and laundering money in Zimbabwe.

Her remarks came after the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, said individuals mentioned in the Al Jazeera documentary would be punished if they are convicted of corruption and criminal activities. The minister said:

Any person found to have engaged in acts of corruption, fraud or any form of crime, will face the full wrath of the law.

Government takes this opportunity to re-affirm its commitment to upholding local and international laws, including laws relating to financial transactions, the trade of gold and other precious minerals.

Boastful behaviour and name-dropping by some personalities featured in the documentary, seeking personal gain and glory, should never be taken as an enunciation of Government Policy.

Buy Samsung, itel, Redmi smartphones in Zimbabwe

WhatsApp: +263715068543

In a response seen by Pindula News, Mamombe said ZANU PF won’t act on the gold mafia, as usual. She said:

From time immemorial ZANU PF has mastered the art of issuing statement after statement without ACTION being done. Expecting them to act on this, is expecting Satan to cast demons out of believers. Citizens let’s act by voting out these incorrigible corrupt people.

Some of the individuals who are allegedly involved in gold smuggling gold and laundering money include:

1). Uebert Angel, born Hubert Mudzanire, is a British-Zimbabwean religious leader and a business person well known for being the founder and leader of Spirit Embassy, The Good News Church. He is the Presidential Envoy and Ambassador at Large for Europe and the Americas. Angel is being accused of engaging criminals with dirty money which is then sent to Zimbabwe for cleaning. 

2). Henrietta Rushwaya, is a Zimbabwean politician, football administrator and former CEO of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA). She is the president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation. She is allegedly the one responsible for cleaning the dirty money. She allegedly buys gold for the money launderers who then sell it and get clean money. In October 2020, Rushwaya was arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport after attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold out of Zimbabwe to Dubai.

3). Simon Rudland: He is a Zimbabwean businessman with interests in logistics, agriculture and finance. Rudland is the co-owner of Gold Leaf Tobacco Zimbabwe and a member of the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA). Rudland is accused of smuggling his cigarettes to South Africa to evade tax. He allegedly uses the money to buy gold in Zimbabwe on behalf of the “broke” Fidelity Printers and Refiners. 

4). Ewan Macmillan – Zimbabwean gold dealer and businessman Ewan MacMillan is no stranger to the news headlines, with former dodgy gold dealings returning to haunt him and recent money laundering claims swirling around him. But, he has recently been implicated in an even bigger scandal, claiming he has high-profile political business partners. In the documentary, he said: I have been doing gold since I was 19. I went to jail for the first time for gold when I was 21, so that would be in 1991. I went to do a lot of prison in the 90s.’ He said, ‘And you will not believe this, my partner is the president. I did 60 days in prison, and my partner is the new president.’

5). Rikki Doolan: he is a British Christian preacher. He claims that President Emmerson Mnangagwa enables gold smuggling operations in Zimbabwe by offering protection to “the Gold Mafia.” In Episode 2 of Gold Mafia, Rikki Doolan who is portrayed as a money launderer, says all money laundering deals are done with the president’s blessing. 

6). Lamkesh Pattni: he is a Kenyan businessman and pastor. He was implicated in the 1990s Goldenberg scandal but was acquitted in 2013. He is being caused of siphoning cash from Zimbabwe in connivance with ZIMRA officials instead of bringing it from gold and jewellery proceeds. 

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, established in 2019, says it is monitoring the case.

Corruption is a big problem in Zimbabwe, where some people engage in illegal activities and in some cases political leaders are allegedly protecting these corrupt individuals to maintain the status quo, leading to a culture of impunity. 

More Pindula News