Civil Aviation Authority (CAAZ) Security Manager Cleopas Chidodo has accused Al Jazeera journalists of drugging and coercing him to lie about former First Lady Grace Mugabe's involvement in ivory smuggling in the 'Gold Mafia' documentary.
Chidodo was featured on Gold Mafia's episode four where he claimed Grace Mugabe poached and smuggled elephant tusks and minerals worth millions of US dollars during her late husband Robert Mugabe's administration, behind his back.
His job is reportedly on the line following the airing of the investigative documentary.
In a video apology to Grace, shared across various online platforms including NewZimbabwe.com Thursday, Chidodo dismissed all his utterances, arguing drinks shared by the Al Jazeera journalists who posed as Chinese gangsters were spiked.
"I wish to render my unconditional apology to the former First Lady Grace Mugabe and the entire former First family for the falsehood I mentioned about them in the recently aired Al Jazeera Gold Mafia series," said Chidodo.
"I wish to clarify that I never presented myself willingly to provide information. The individuals who secretly recorded me had actually approached me intending to offer my family scholarships to study abroad. It was in this meeting that the subject changed and revealed to my shock that they actually intended on smuggling minerals out of Zimbabwe.
"I wish the general public to know that it is untrue that Grace did the various illegal things I mentioned in the video. Specifically, it is untrue that she killed elephants for ivory. It is untrue that she smuggled the said ivory in hordes of containers through Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
"It is untrue that Grace would send a plane to Chiadzwa diamond fields to collect diamonds and smuggle them. It is untrue that she devised a scheme to smuggle minerals and ivory behind Mugabe's back.
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"It is untrue that Grace and the former First Family made a lot of money smuggling minerals out of the country.
"I am aware of the reputational damage I have caused the former First Family and in particular Grace and I sincerely apologise for the falsehoods that have stained the image of the former First Family and Grace."
Chidodo said he no longer recalled saying any of what came out on the investigative series released last month.
He was recorded detailing how minerals are smuggled at the Harare airport, and shared manoeuvres he said he sometimes used with his subordinates in doing so for others.
"The statements that I made were coerced by the individuals secretly recording me which moment does not appear in the selective clips that they decided to show the world," he added.
"The time of the meeting and indeed the recording, my mental faculties had been manipulated by what I assume to be drinks spiked by a suppressant, to the extent that I do not even recall saying the said statements even though I acknowledge that the video shows me to do so.
"It was unwise, immature and extremely unfortunate that I resorted to lying as I did so soiling the reputation of Grace and her family."
The Gold Mafia documentary, a two-year-long investigation by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit, exposed massive money laundering at the hands of public officials including First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Special Envoy Uebert Angel.
