Miners make beeline to Mines minister Zhemu, scramble for Rushwaya’s ZMF post
Harare- TOP and influential miners are reportedly making a beeline and scramble to approach Mines minister Soda Zhemu in a bid to get favour in replacing convicted Henrietta Rushwaya Zimbabwe Mining Federation (ZMF) as president.
Inside sources told Express Mail Zim that the ZMF presidency automatically became vacant after Rushwaya’s conviction.
” Well, the conviction meant that the ZMF presidency has become vacant although official communication has not yet been made.
“So now some powerful miners and black empowerment champions have been seeking audience from the minister to get favour in replacing Rushwaya,” said our source who preferred anonymity.
“That position is very powerful and it gives one an opportunity to expand their mining ventures.
“Rushwaya however abused the position and enriched herself at the expense of small scale miners,” added our source.
Express Mail Zim has it on good authority that early this year, Rushwaya was slapped on the cheek by angry young small scale miners at Jekayi Shopping Centre in Mberengwa where she had charged them US$20 registration fees each and went on to target their Lithium claims.
As Mines minister, Zhemu has the influence and mandate to appoint ZMF president since the organisation is a government initiative to effect sustainable growth and meaningful transformation of the artisanal and small-scale mining.
Zhemu could not be reached to confirm the pestering at the time of writing.
Rushwaya was convicted on charges of attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold through the VIP route at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, three years ago.
She was remanded in custody and sentence will be handed down on November 10 2023.
Rushwaya, who was being charged along with two Central Intelligence Organisation operatives Stephen Tserai and Raphios Mufandauya, had denied the charge when her trial began at the High Court, last month.
Tserai and Mufandauya have since been acquitted due to lack of evidence, at the close of the state case.
Rushwaya was accused of trying to smuggle 6kg of gold worth US$333,042.28 out of Zimbabwe.
In her defence, the witty Rushwaya denied the charge, claiming that she mistakenly picked the wrong bag containing gold instead of her own.
