GIDEON GONO FIGHTS BACK AGAINST GOLD THEFT ACCUSATIONS

Dr. Gideon Gono, the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), has strongly denied accusations made by Chris Mutsvangwa, the spokesperson for Zanu PF. Mutsvangwa claimed that during Gono’s time as governor, Zimbabwe’s gold reserves were stolen through illegal deals with a company from Saudi Arabia.

Gono says these claims are false. He explained that in 2006, RBZ made a financial deal worth $150 million with a Saudi company. This deal was not just about selling jewelry—it was part of a bigger plan to get a $600 million credit line from a bank in South Africa. The money was needed to help Zimbabwe’s economy, which was struggling because of strong Western sanctions.

Western countries had placed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002, making it hard for the government to run properly. The economy was in deep trouble. The money from the credit line was used to buy important things like electricity, fuel, and fertilizer. Without these supplies, Zimbabwe would have been in even bigger trouble.

Mutsvangwa was Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to China when this deal happened. Gono says this means Mutsvangwa was not in Zimbabwe and did not know the full details of the deal. Gono believes Mutsvangwa is misinformed and does not have all the facts.

Gono also said that Zimbabwe’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) had already investigated this issue before. The commission looked at the financial records, spoke to him and his successor, John Mangudya, and found no wrongdoing. There was no missing gold, and the deal was legal.

Gono is upset about the accusations. He says false claims like this can destroy reputations. If these lies are not corrected, people will believe them, and this could harm the image of Zimbabwe’s financial institutions.

He also spoke about how difficult his time as governor was. The country was in financial crisis when he took over in 2003. RBZ had almost no money, and he had to find creative ways to keep the economy going. Gono believes that people who were not involved in these decisions may not understand why certain moves were made.

To clear his name and set the record straight, Gono has suggested that President Emmerson Mnangagwa should create a Commission of Inquiry. This would help find the truth and stop false stories from spreading. He wants the public to have the correct information.

Gono was RBZ governor from 2003 to 2013. During this time, he tried to stabilize the economy in tough conditions. He says he will continue to defend the financial system of Zimbabwe and make sure history is told accurately.

By speaking out, Gono hopes to bring back trust in Zimbabwe’s banking system. He also wants to stop false accusations that damage people’s names. He believes that people should have facts instead of believing misleading information.