In a shocking revelation, Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia documentary has uncovered evidence that Zimbabwean businessman Simon Rudland is at the center of a criminal network involved in smuggling gold out of the country. The documentary alleges that Rudland, who has strong ties to ZANU-PF officials, is using his connections to flout the law and evade taxes.
According to the documentary, Rudland’s brother-in-law Ewan Macmillan is also involved in the illegal gold trade and is making a staggering $13.2 million a week. However, Macmillan reportedly considers himself to be smaller in the smuggling business than Rudland, raising serious questions about how much gold Zimbabwe is losing to this criminal enterprise.
The Al Jazeera documentary also alleges that Rudland is using his influence to protect his business interests and intimidate those who speak out against him. The documentary features interviews with sources who claim to have been threatened and harassed by Rudland and his associates.
Following the release of the documentary, Zimbabwean journalist and activist Hopewell Chin’ono shared details from the documentary on his Twitter account. He expressed outrage at the scale of the alleged corruption and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The documentary’s findings are likely to raise serious concerns about the state of Zimbabwe’s gold industry and the involvement of powerful figures in the country’s illicit trade. The video accompanying this article provides further details on the allegations made in the documentary.
