Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Billy Rautenbach (above) is supposed to testify in South African courts in the trial of that country's former Police Commissioner on allegations of corruption. He was implicated by another witness, who said Rautenbach had given him US$100 000 with which to bribe the Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, who was then also the head of Interpol. The bribe was so that the Police Chief looked the other way whilst Rautenbach continued to operate in South Africa. Rautenbach is alleged to be one of the major financiers of the Mugabe regime, in exchange for vast business concessions. He is banned from traveling to Europe and America. Harare, Zimbabwe, 15 November 2009 A Zimbabwean millionaire, Mugabe ally and Financier has bolted from South Africa and is hiding from testifying in the trial of South Africa's former Police Commissioner, in which he stands accused of handing over US$100 000 in bribes. Billy Rautenbach, who brought the South Korean car brand Hyundai into Zimbabwe and South Af...

A day after Zimbabwe police announced a crackdown on "illegal small-scale gold miners in Mashonaland central Province" just like the diamond miners shown in Chiadzwa in the photo above, comes an announcement that three people have died "of suffocation" in the same province in an active mine shaft. The three, one woman and two men are said to have been attempting to steal gold ore. Harare, Zimbabwe, 26 August 2009 Three people have died in Shamva (one of Zimbabwe's richest gold areas). The three died at a claim called Marodzi Ten in the Concession/Shamva area. The three have been named as Marvelous Kuyeri, aged 35, Tinashe Chari, aged 23 and Petros Kambira, aged 26. According to Mazowe police (Mazowe is the nearest district), Marvelous Kuyeri entered the mine shaft just after midnight "intending to steal gold ore" and was overcome by fumes from a diesel generator that had been left running to drain water from gold mine. She called out for help and the ...