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Zimbabweans Outraged Over 'Gold Mafia' Revelations Slam President

Over a hundred people have taken to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's social media handles to vent their frustrations at revelations of massive looting by those close to him, termed Gold Mafia by international broadcaster Al Jazeera, New Zimbabwe reports.

Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit unearthed how Mnangagwa's niece Henrietta Rushwaya, Special Envoy to Europe and the Americas Uebert Angel, benefactors Ewan Macmillan and Simon Rudland were stripping the country of its gold while also using it to clean hundreds of millions in dirty U.S. dollars each week.

Additionally, Zimbabwe's central bank has frozen the assets of Cleopas Chidodo, David Chirozvi, Mehlululi Dube and Fredrick Kunaka - four individuals who said they assisted a long-running gold smuggling and money laundering ring.

The undercover probe by Al Jazeera has exposed a criminal network worth billions of dollars through gold smuggling and money laundering in Zimbabwe. Many people were stunned by the first episode of the Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia, which centers on Zimbabwe and more disclosures are allegedly on the way, according to the news network.

Key members of the Gold Mafia are allegedly Kenyan preacher Kamlesh Pattni, alias "Brother Paul," who also smuggles gold out of Zimbabwe, and Uebert Angel, one of Zimbabwe's most powerful ambassadors, who is accused of using his position to smuggle illegal money into the country. Meanwhile, Henrietta Rushwaya, President of Zimbabwe's Mining Federation and niece of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is accused of being involved in the purchase of gold for the laundering scam.

Now multi-millionaire businessman Simon Rudland, who was cited as the biggest funder of gold smuggling activities in Zimbabwe during an Al Jazeera investigation, has demanded an apology from the station and indicated he will be suing. Meanwhile, Angel has since said that Mnangagwa's son, Emmerson Junior and the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa were also recorded during the Al Jazeera investigation. Mnangagwa has not responded to the allegations.

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