The Case of Rushwaya a Way to Subvert Sanctions or Just Water under the Bridge 

The Zimbabwean Crisis and abuse of Social Media, Invasion of Private Life and the Interference by external forces on the Zimbabwean internal affairs does not allow the public to get in touch with the truth.

All that goes fast are lies and the general population is always pulled in the dungeons of propaganda, wavered to the wasteland until their brains are crooked, no more to be recovered again.

What happened with Rushwaya?

On Monday 25 October 2020 the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reported through their Twitter handle @PoliceZimbabwe about the arrest of Henrietta Rushwaya.

“The ZRP confirms the arrest of Henrietta Rushwaya at RGM International Airport this afternoon after scanners at the airport checkpoint indicated that there was something in her hand luggage.

As a result, searches revealed that the suspect had 6,09kgs of gold which had not been legally and properly cleared with Customs and relevant offices for export. This is a suspected smuggling case and Police are now conducting investigations.“

What followed the same day was another public manipulation that Rushwaya had been released and this was another lie. The police had to cheap in to correct the anomaly. They confirmed that Rushwaya was still in the hands of the police and that she was yet to appear in the court today.

Who is Rushwaya

The identity of Rushwaya is a key issue in trying to understand the whole fiasco. However, this identity have worked well in politicization of Rushwaya’s case than giving people the true picture of the story.

Merely talking, judging from the police report, she is a citizen convicted of a criminal crime.

The police report signals a case committed by a citizen who simply possessed gold and a criminal mind, so she happened to have tried to smuggle this gold because of her criminality.

The same criminal nature was envisage in the Asiagate Scandal when in 2013. The cases in which some Zimbabweans work with criminals were also raised by the government against Chin’ono and Ngarivhume among others during their 31 July Arrest. Thus, Rushwaya is reportedly a criminal who is working in cohorts with foreigners of a criminal nature.

“The arrest of Henrietta Rushwaya for attempting to smuggle 6kgs gold at the airport is not surprising. A wind of criminality follows her like a bad smell. What is intriguing is how Zimbabwe has become a haven for foreigners of a criminal disposition. We have a reputation,” wrote Wamagaisa on his Twitter timeline.

However, the only authorised body to nub her a criminal is the Zimbabwean judiciary and noone else. So the 2013 scandal became null and void when she was cleared by the Supreme Court after she was found innocent. So the same might happen with this scandal.

Thus, it was reported that investigations were still going on and the suspect was set to appear in the court of law today (Tuesday 27 October 2020).

However, her arrest have turns out to be the key in the politics and economy of the Zimbabwean crisis, a signal that Zimbabwe as a nation is deeply divided. Instead of uniting to lambast corruption they take it as an opportunity to politic.

 “Former Defence ministry permanent secretary and now deputy chief secretary for Administration and Finance in the Office of the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya and Emmmerson Mnangagwa’s mothers are sisters, direct siblings.

Henrietta Rushwaya and Martin are cousins, their fathers are brothers. To top that up, ZBC CEO Heliete Rushwaya is Henrietta’s sister,” wrote Anonymous on their Twitter timeline @stolenbridge.

So what does this imply?

According to Anonymous, “It might actually have been ED’s gold and Rushwaya was just the @mule.“

On the other hand, Rushwaya might have used her connection to ED as a tool to smuggle gold. Such evidence is based on the statement issued by President Mnangagwa himself on the 21st October 2020.

“The fight against corruption in the party and country continues unabated. Gone are the days when members hid behind their status and abused the name of the party to propagate corruption” President @edmnangagwa.

So it’s evident from the above relationship and HE ED Mnangagwa’s statement that Rushwaya may be a victim of the same. Hence, in that regard she is likely going to face the wrath of the law.

However, evidence shows that both Rushwaya and ED are not the owners of the gold. They are just being soiled for a purpose. This was confirmed by Wamagaisa himself.

“When she was nabbed red-handed, Rushwaya implicated one Ali Mohammed, a chap who owns an entity called Ali Japan786. She says she had instructions to deliver the smuggled gold to a chap in Dubai,” he wrote.

In this twist of events Rushwaya as the head of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) was mostly likely involved in the signing of the Mega Deals between this individual and the government. Wamagaisa himself confirmed this deal.

“Rushwaya is head of the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation. Just a few days ago, Rushwaya was with the Minister of Mines, Winston Chitando where big deals were announced. Also present at the ceremony was that Ali Mohammed of Ali Japan786, the chap who Rushwaya is implicating as her principal in the gold smuggling. The Herald covered it,” wrote Wamagaisa.

So it’s crystal clear that the gold have a clear owner. Rushwaya is not wrong, she is clean though innocents is questionable unless proven otherwise. She was evidently defended by the ZMF.

“The ZMF has learnt of the arrest of its President Ms Henrietta Rushwaya and is following the case closely. As an organization, we are aware that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We have had the privilege to hear Ms Rushwaya’s side of the story and believe in her innocence. We anticipate that Ms Rushwaya will be taken to court tomorrow for possible initial appearance as part of due process. In the interim, we remain committed towards executing our mandate and vision as an organization”

At the back of his head, Wamagaisa is even aware that the case is just water under the bridge. However, he was not willing to tell it as it is and perpetrate the mindset that courts are captured.

“She will probably be bailed shortly. And after a few remand hearings the matter will die quietly. It will be set up to fail, like the Nguwaya affair. There will be technicalities that will be exploited and that will be it. It all depends on who her political godfather is,” wrote Wamagaisa.

So it’s real that the case of Wamagaisa is just water under the bridge.

Is it right for Rushwaya to be implicated?

The right and wrong is a matter of state service and the implications of the constitution. The whole thing goes back to the ZIDERA and the Sanctions. Such processes can create situations like this.

Looking back during the time of Ian Smith and Rhodisian Sanctions minerals and other goods were smuggled through Mozambique and South Africa into International Markets such as USA, Europe and Australia among others. There were also agents who worked to smuggle goods. No one spoke against it because all the Whites were bound by race and colonial mindset. The whole Rhodesian family was patriotic to the cause.

This same case can be told about Zimbabwe as testified by Magaisa himself. But however, to divert from this reality he painted a criminal picture to all the purported deals of this nature. He is at pain to explain the way the government subvert sanctions though presenting it in an unpatriotic manner.

“If Rushwaya’s confession is correct, this means Minister Chitando was dealing with a criminal element. Do the intelligence guys ever do any due diligence or they just focus on going after government critics? Remember the Drax affair and that dodgy Albanian chap?

It looks like criminals masquerading as investors see Zimbabwe as a haven for their heists. And how many more Zimbabweans out there are acting as couriers, like Rushwaya? She was probably bleating about sanctions yesterday. But they are the ones looting in broad daylight.

 And here she is, Henrietta Rushwaya kneeling before President Mnangagwa in this undated image. Last time Mnangagwa was pictured with Delish Nguwaya of the Draxgate scandal where he wrongly & falsely announced that Drax had given US$60 million to the government,” wrote Wamagaisa.

Why Politicizing The Crime?

On the 25th of October 2020 as last year, the whole of the Zimbabwean Anti-Sanction Population rose in solidarity with SADC and other world leaders in de-campaigning sanctions.

MDCA was left out in the cold as a mad dog. Most of their Sanction Twits backfired. Thanks to the USEmbassy, UKEmbassy among other International Organisations and countries who accused the government orchestrated sanctions on Zimbabweans in form of corruption. The case of Rushwaya revived the MDCA ZimTwitter: Wamagaisa with his 7 page tweets, Ruhanya, Thabani Mpofu, Mahere, Hopewell Chin’ono and Hwende among others.

The effect of it was that the case was even linked to the fired judges and the captured judicial, to the detriment of invading private life. The madness part of it is that, some ended up facing the wrath of the law.

So far it is alleged that, Prosecutor General Kumbirai Hodzi has filed criminal charges against some of the above wanton pro-MDC Alliance political activists.

“I can confirm that the Prosecutor General has filed criminal complaints against Advocate Thabani Mpofu and Mr Hopewell Chin’ono for their utterances against him,” Acting Public Prosecutor for the Eastern Region Michael Reza confirmed to The Herald.

The bottom line is the question on whether the case in question is an attempt to subvert sanctions or its just water under the ground. Everything else is self-explanatory.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tamblr @mygokwe