The Zimbabwean government has undermined
the legal system and the public’s faith in the
independence and impartiality of the courts by
turning it into a weapon to assault civic space
and punish perceived opponents. The right to
demonstrate and petition which is guaranteed
under Section 59 of the Constitution is being
criminalised. The constitutional protections to
freedom of assembly and association are directly
violated by the politicisation and weaponization
of the law.
The concluded 4-episode investigation by Al
Jazeera titled ‘Gold Mafia’ revealed some of
Southern Africa’s largest gold-smuggling
operations, exposing how gangs help criminals
around the world launder billions of dollars
while aiding governments in circumventing
international sanctions. The four-part series
shows government officials and
businesspeople, including Ambassador at Large
and prophet Uebert Angel and his deputy Rikki
Doolan as the face of illicit gold trade in
Zimbabwe. The duo made an offer to Al
Jazeera’s undercover reporters that Angel could
use his diplomatic cover to smuggle dirty money
and launder US$1.2 billion into Zimbabwe. The
cash would then be used to purchase
Zimbabwean gold with the help of Henrietta
Rushwaya who is the president of the Zimbabwe
Miners Federation, and a niece of President
Mnangagwa.
George Charamba, the presidential
spokesperson has since stated that Uebert
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Angel remains Zimbabwe’s Ambassador-atLarge and has not been stripped of his
ambassadorial status. Reserve Bank of
Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Fidelity Printers and
Refineries are shown as laundry machines for
dirty money. When Henrietta Rushwaya
allegedly tried to smuggle 6.7kg gold bars
through the Harare International Airport,
journalist Hopewell Chin’ono spent 20 days in
prison for reporting on the case and quoting
National Prosecuting Authority and stating that
sources there had indicated the NPA was not
opposed to bail. He was arrested ostensibly for
obstructing the course of justice by tweeting.
Z i m b a bwe s i g n e d t h e U n i te d N a t i o n s
Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on 20
February 2004 and ratified it on 8 March 2007.
The Convention entered into force for
Zimbabwe on 7 April 2007. Zimbabwe is also a
signatory to the African Union Convention on
Pre venting and Combating Corruption
(AUCPCC) which was adopted on 11 July 2003
and the Southern Africa De velopment
Community Protocol on Corruption. Despite
being signatory to these conventions,
corruption remains rampant in the country. The
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission
(ZACC) recently introduced media awards for
journalists who expose corruption, which is a
welcome move, but the commission should also
guarantee the security and protection of these
journalists when they expose corruption
involving high level politicians and government
officials.
THE ZIMBABWE PEACE PROJECT MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT | APRIL 2023