Guilty Govt Launches “Smuggling Crackdown” Amid Gold Smuggling Scandal – Eduzim News

By Dorrothy Moyo | Analysis| In a sudden and aggressive move, the Zimbabwean government has launched a door-to-door crackdown on smuggled goods, coinciding with recent sanctions tied to a gold smuggling and election-rigging scheme that implicates Kamlesh Pattni, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s largest business partner.

This operation, touted as a fight against the estimated US$1 billion annual losses due to smuggling, is raising suspicions of a deeper agenda—potentially an effort to obscure the high-level corruption unearthed by international sanctions.

A Convenient Timing

The crackdown comes shortly after global sanctions were announced against individuals and entities involved in gold smuggling networks, with evidence pointing to Pattni’s role in financing election rigging through illicit gold deals. Pattni, a controversial figure with a history of corruption scandals across Africa, has long been associated with Mnangagwa’s business dealings. Critics argue the government’s sudden overdrive on smuggling is a smokescreen to shift focus from these damning allegations.

Sweeping Measures or Smokescreen?

Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti announced that a taskforce comprising inter-governmental agencies has been deployed to major border posts and roads to intercept smuggled goods. These agencies include the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), and the Consumer Protection Commission.

“This December, we will have inter-governmental agencies stationed at our major border posts to ensure zero tolerance for smugglers. The taskforce will conduct door-to-door inspections of all goods in wholesale and retail shops,” Muguti said.

Yet, observers question why the government is only now ramping up efforts against smuggling—particularly when the sanctioned gold smuggling operations are allegedly linked to Mnangagwa’s inner circle.

Targeting the Wrong Smugglers?

The crackdown focuses on consumer goods such as groceries, clothing, alcohol, electrical gadgets, and vehicles, with diasporans returning for the holidays warned against failing to declare their goods. However, it conspicuously avoids addressing the gold smuggling networks that international investigators have linked to Zimbabwe’s leadership.

Critics argue that the government is deflecting attention from the core issue—systemic corruption and the illicit gold trade—by targeting smaller smuggling activities involving everyday goods.

“The timing is no coincidence. By focusing on consumer goods, the government is attempting to distract from the revelations of high-level gold smuggling that implicates Mnangagwa’s close allies,” said a political analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Warnings and Arrests

Authorities have arrested over 15,000 individuals for smuggling since January, with officials warning that the festive season will see even stricter enforcement. Diasporans returning for the holidays face arrest for undeclared items, while businesses caught using parallel market exchange rates or selling counterfeit goods are also in the crosshairs.

Eng Muguti issued a stern warning: “There will be no fines for violations at roadblocks. Those caught will be arrested on the spot. You risk spending Christmas behind bars.”

Despite these warnings, questions remain about whether this operation will truly address Zimbabwe’s smuggling crisis—or if it’s simply a tool to silence dissent and distract from the deeper scandals involving the nation’s leadership.

Pattni and Mnangagwa: The Untouched Connection

Kamlesh Pattni’s involvement in the gold smuggling scandal underscores the hypocrisy of the government’s sudden anti-smuggling zeal. While thousands of ordinary citizens face arrest for minor infractions, those implicated in large-scale gold smuggling, including Pattni, remain untouched.

Pattni, a central figure in the sanctions, has been accused of laundering millions of dollars through Zimbabwe’s gold exports to fund election rigging operations that bolstered Mnangagwa’s regime. Despite mounting evidence, the government has yet to take meaningful action against him or his associates.

A Nation in Crisis

Zimbabwe’s crackdown on smuggling may appear to be a move to protect the economy and local industry, but many see it as a strategic deflection from the deeper corruption plaguing the nation. With the president and his allies increasingly under international scrutiny, the question remains: will Zimbabwe confront its gold smuggling epidemic at the highest levels, or will ordinary citizens bear the brunt of a campaign designed to protect the powerful?

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