Zimbabwean President's Niece Found Guilty of Gold Smuggling, Henrietta Rushwaya

The president of Zimbabwe Miner's Federation, Henrietta Rushwaya, who is also the niece of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been found guilty of attempting to smuggle gold worth more than $300,000. In 2020, Rushwaya was caught at the airport in Harare with 6kg of gold bars in her handbag while she was on her way to Dubai. Although she claimed that she had mistakenly taken the wrong bag, she was charged with presenting an invalid export license. According to the law, all gold exports must be accompanied by a permit. Rushwaya is currently in custody and will be sentenced on November 10th. She was charged alongside two agents from the national intelligence agency, who were later acquitted due to lack of evidence. These allegations came to light following an undercover investigation by Al Jazeera journalists, who exposed a network involved in smuggling large amounts of gold from Zimbabwe to the United Arab Emirates. They discovered the use of dormant companies, fake invoices, and corrupt officials in this illegal operation. In response to the documentary, the government announced an investigation, vowing to punish anyone involved in corruption or any criminal activities. President Mnangagwa, who was re-elected for a second term a few months ago in an election marred by allegations of fraud, took office in 2017 after a military coup that overthrew long-time leader Robert Mugabe.