By Crison Mugari
WITH the Al Jazeera “gold mafia documentary” now behind us, many intriguing revelations and lessons about who really is on Zimbabwe’s side, and what must possibly help define the “national interest” have come out of this four-part expose.
From the cast of players and to the very damaging nature of statements by some of the self anointed interlocutors, it is clear that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government — and the country at large — have quite a lot to do in cleaning up the mess left by this Arabian network, and its money-hungry enablers.
In my first installment on this saga, l opined that the Al Jazeera documentary not only had many risks, including a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-listing clampdown and serious dangers to Harare’s socio-economic interests, but the recent British parliamentary debates could also be ominous to our re-engagement efforts. In a nutshell, the “gold mafia” saga could actually sink these efforts and the country’s economic revival prospects.
As we all know that perception is powerful, the damage wrought on brand Zimbabwe by these Al Jazeera willing tools’ reckless statements is far too great to fathom and ignore. For instance, how do we shore up bullion-backed digital currency and prepare ourselves for the BRICS financial initiative with a gold industry buried in a cloud of uncertainty, and opaque operations?
Yes, the Qatari-based global news network might have its own credibility issues, as manifested by the multiple bureau closures worldwide and how information in the “gold mafia series” was collected, but the actions – and avarices – of those quoted in its documentary surely deserve a quick, and decisive investigation.
This is key in making a clear distinction on who did what, why and how it possibly strikes at the core of our “national interest” as well as preserving the country’s image! As it is, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has recently cried about
“Zimbabwe’s low credit rating” out there and one can only imagine what this “gold mafia” saga will do to the country’s sovereign risk. European Union ambassador Zimbabwe Jobst von Kirchmann has also echoed the same sentiments.
But there was a silver lining in government’s emphatic statement to probe the “gold mafia” saga and that people like Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya were somewhat vindicated by the malt-soaked Ewan Macmillan’s unflattering remarks about the latter.
This was not only because the central bank boss had probably blocked some of his shady deals, but the frustration-fueled rantings came in 2019 l am told. At a time the ex-banker’s image was roiled by the wild allegations against his former Fidelity Gold colleagues, the apex bank chief has a chance to redeem himself by even heeding calls for a “forensic audit” on the main bank by legal watchdog Veritas.
Zimbabweans should be assured of Mangudya’s cooperation, as he did when four of his colleagues were once accused of grand corruption in 2018. While the Zimbabwean government has promised an inquiry – through Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa’s March 04 statement – there seems to be no spirited desire to get to the bottom of this saga and separate the real villains from those suffering by way of association or mere circumstances.
From the Al Jazeera doccie itself and other authoritative sources, it is common cause that the biggest source, destination and beneficiaries of this “dirty cash” are western countries themselves, including Switzerland and the United Kingdom, but for as long as we do not manage our affairs well we will bear the brunt of being labeled the most corrupt.
Given the above, it should be safe to say: corruption – just like human rights – is NOT so much about “the act” itself, but perception in this modern, superficial world.
Hence, the actions taken against Uebert Angel, Macmillan, Fradreck Kunaka, Mehluleli Dube, Stephen Chidodo and David Chirozvi must be escalated (in order to retain the people’s confi dence in Harare’s leadership).
To borrow from the maxim that “justice must not only be served, but seen to be done”, this also resonates with Financial Intelligence Unit director general Oliver Chiperesa’s recent statements that Zimbabwe will “only be punished if it does not act on closing all loopholes” associated with these ludicrous claims.
And as the nation grapples with the Moti, Bona Mugabe and Simba Chikore files, l not only believe that it is a robust and long-overdue investigation to rebuild trust and reassert servant leadership – as the current lethargy might be interpreted as an “admission of guilty” – but help the people appreciate what Mangudya has described as: the truth to prevail.
Given the gravity, and urgency of the matter, the current “head in the sand” scenario or approach will not help. And for cues on how to handle these matters, we can look up to Russia, and China!
