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ZRP declares gold smuggler “A person of interest”, engages Interpol

ZRP declares gold smuggler “A person of interest”, engages Interpol

Tashinga Nyasha Masinire

Zimbabwe Police have declared arrested gold smuggler Tashinga Nyasha Masinire as a person of interest and launched investigations into the smuggling of 23 gold pieces worth US$783 000 and are waiting for a detailed report from Interpol officials based in Pretoria, which will be critical in assisting their enquiry.

This comes as Parliament has summoned Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, to give a ministerial statement on the security situation at the country’s ports of entry and exit following a surge in cases of smuggling which are prejudicing the country of millions of dollars.

Minister Kazembe was directed to issue the statement by Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda after a request by Dzivaresekwa legislator, Mr Edwin Mushoriwa. A suspect, Tashinga Nyasha Masinire (33), was found in possession of 23 pieces of gold allegedly smuggled from Zimbabwe.

Masinire was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday by South Africa’s anti-organised crime unit, the Hawks and is facing charges of contravening the Customs Act 91 of 1964 and Precious Metals Act 37 of 2005 of that country.

Masinire has since appeared in the Kempton Park regional court in Gauteng province and granted R100 000 bail and ordered to not leave the country until the matter is finalised. Masinire was also ordered to report at any nearest police station three times per week. The matter was remanded to 1st of July 2021.

Zimbabweans are concerned over the circumstances under which Masinire passed through security checkpoints at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, without declaring his luggage, only to be arrested in South Africa.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told state paper, The Herald yesterday that they were determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

Asst Comm Nyathi “It is something that we are currently seized with. We are presently waiting for a full report from Interpol offices in Pretoria. It is really a case of interest which the police are investigating.

“We want to know if he (Masinire) was alone by the time he got to the airport, was he under escort and did he declare the luggage or was the luggage with someone?” he said.

On arrival at OR Thambo International Airport, Masinire was requested to scan his luggage at the international arrivals customs section of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and 23 pieces of gold were allegedly found in his luggage.

It was then established that he had not declared the goods and did not have a permit to transport the gold. The Hawks were then called to effect the arrest.

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Gold smuggling an African problem

Billions of dollars worth of gold are being smuggled out of Africa every year through the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East – a gateway to markets in Europe, the United States and beyond – a Reuters analysis has found.

Customs data shows that the UAE imported $15.1 billion worth of gold from Africa in 2016, more than any other country and up from $1.3 billion in 2006. The total weight was 446 tonnes, in varying degrees of purity – up from 67 tonnes in 2006.

Much of the gold was not recorded in the exports of African states. Five trade economists interviewed by Reuters said this indicates large amounts of gold are leaving Africa with no taxes being paid to the states that produce them.

In a nutshell, gold smuggling is a problem that is prevalent and the common factor in gold-producing African countries are restrictive policies on gold trade.


Source: The Herald with additional extraction from Reuters

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