Zimbabwe's heir apparent implicated in gold dealings

[seemslikeadream]

March 25, 2004

By Moshoeshoe Monare

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's heir apparent and Speaker of Parliament Emmerson Mnangagwa has been implicated in illicit gold dealings.

In a charge sheet prepared by the state, leaked to Independent Newspapers, Mnangagwa has been incriminated for accepting Zim$8-million (about R12 300) from an illegal gold dealer.

The allegations emerged in a court case involving an alleged "unscrupulous" gold dealer, Mark Mathew Burden (43), who is appearing in the Zimbabwe High Court for dealing in gold without a proper legal permit.

"Upon perusal of the bank documents, police discovered that the accused had made the following cheque payments to E D Mnangagwa:....


However, yesterday a source leaked the court charge sheet to Independent Newspapers and other Zimbabwean independent journalists showing Mnangagwa's name.

In the charge sheet, Burden, the owner of Zimbabwe's Ivan Hoe Mine and eight gold custom mining plants, is accused of milling gold ore from other registered miners, small-scale miners and gold panners around Kwekwe district.

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http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=384053