Grace smuggled gold and ivory behind Mugabe’s back
Former First Lady, Grace Mugabe
THE late former President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace allegedly used her position to smuggle diamonds and ivory out of the country without her husband’s knowledge, according to the latest episode of Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia documentary.
Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) manager Cleopas Chidodo revealed how planes would be sent to diamond mines where the finest diamonds would be handpicked and flown to Dubai via Harare International Airport.
Chidodo also exposed how Grace Mugabe was involved in ivory trafficking, with poachers being sent to kill elephants and the ivory being flown out of the country as cargo, all without her husband, former President Mugabe’s knowledge.
“She wanted to take things out and Mugabe did not know,” Chidodo said during Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia documentary.
“They would go out there and kill elephants and stuff like that. Poachers would then prepare the ivory.
“It would come to the airport as cargo in big containers, if the ivory comes and the supervisor asks, they will just say it is for the first family and no one will ask further,” Chidodo said.
He added: “The plane goes to diamond mines and they select some nice diamonds to put in the plane. The plane will come from the diamond mine and go straight to Dubai, no papers, no what.”
“They were making money, they made a lot of money,” Chidodo said.
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