Harare, Zimbabwe – When Henrietta Rushwaya was arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport in October for alleged gold smuggling, the news was shocking but not the purported crime.
The 56-year-old head of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation and former president of the country’s football body was preparing to board a flight to Dubai when authorities found six gold bars worth an estimated $366,000 in her carry-on luggage.
Rushwaya, who denies the charges against her, has not been granted bail and is waiting for a trial date to be set.
It is a spectacular scandal – one involving a powerful figure that only served to reinforce the widespread belief that Zimbabwe’s ruling elite and politically connected help themselves to the nation’s natural resources – especially gold – with near impunity.
WHEN Henrietta Rushwaya was arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport in October for alleged gold smuggling, the news was shocking but not the purported crime.
The 56-year-old head of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation and former president of the country’s football body was preparing to board a flight to Dubai when authorities found six gold bars worth an estimated $366,000 in her carry-on luggage.
Rushwaya, who denies the charges against her, has not been granted bail and is waiting for a trial date to be set.
It is a spectacular scandal – one involving a powerful figure that only served to reinforce the widespread belief that Zimbabwe’s ruling elite and politically connected help themselves to the nation’s natural resources – especially gold – with near impunity.