Mawere exposes Gono propaganda

By Lance Guma
03 January 2008

South African based businessman Mutumwa Mawere has claimed the recent escape to the United Kingdom of Guruve North MP David Butau, exposes the plot by Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono to shift the blame for the current economic mess onto western countries. Mawere told our Behind the Headlines series that the victimisation of several high profile individuals, allegedly for foreign currency exchange violations, fits in neatly with a propaganda campaign to blame the cash shortages on western countries.

The government is extensively using the Butau case as part of its propaganda strategy. Mawere added: ‘The role of business in undermining the sovereignty of Zimbabwe is a subject that Gono has taken up as his main theatre of operation.’ More worryingly Mawere believes Gono has become a law unto himself and only reports to Robert Mugabe. Mawere said; ‘If anyone was in doubt of Gono’s powers, the Butau saga has removed any doubt that Gono is the law in Zimbabwe. If you are on his target list, you better escape before injustice visits you.’

He says the predicament faced by people like James Makamba, Chris Kuruneri, Julius Makoni, James Mushore, Cecil Muderedi and others all stem from Gono’s power to decide who should be classified as a criminal. Mawere himself left Zimbabwe after his Shabani Mashaba Mines was expropriated by government on the grounds that he was a ‘specified’ person following similar dubious accusations of foreign currency exchange law violations.

Turning to the Butau case, Mawere said the RBZ, ‘in its well documented quasi-fiscal activities promised to procure tractors for the farmers in line with its purported sanctions busting mandate.’ Gono then used people like Butau to purchase the tractors using so called shelf companies. Why they have turned on him remains unclear but he believes the regime needs to manufacture new enemies all the time so as to blame them for it’s own shortcomings. As an example he said instead of people talking about the real reasons for the cash shortages, all talk is about so-called cash barons like Butau and others.