Rushwaya faces jail time | Business Times

MOSES MATENGA

 

Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya (pictured) will spend the next nine days in custody awaiting sentence after she was convicted for attempting to smuggle gold in November, 2020.

Rushwaya appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court at the High Court facing charges of gold smuggling after she was caught with six kilograms of the precious mineral valued at US$333k.

In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority said: “…. Rushwaya has been convicted of smuggling 6kgs of gold. Rushwaya, who is appearing in the Anti-Corruption Court at the High Court of Harare was caught red handed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport whilst smuggling gold valued at US$333 042.28 out of the country to Dubai.”

“She has been detained in custody pending sentence which will be handed down on the 10th of November 2023.”

Officials say Zimbabwe has been losing about $1.8bn of mineral revenues; especially from gold smuggling.

At least $100m worth of gold is reportedly being lost every month through international smuggling rings and the country’s porous borders.

Porous borders and other exit points are the leading enablers of smuggling with cartels involved.

Rushwaya, a former football administrator and now into mining was caught red handed at the Robert Gabriel International Airport with gold heading for Dubai.

Alert security arrested Rushwaya who claimed she had picked a wrong bag on her way to the airport but her accomplice, Gift Karanda, lied that the gold in question belonged to members of the First Family.

This at the time angered the First Family with the government and police distancing them from Karanda and Rushwaya’s claims and accused them of name-dropping to evade arrest.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi at the time issued a statement saying comprehensive investigations have proved that the statement by Karanda was false and malicious with intent to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.

 

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