According to Dickens and Madson, Tsvangirai requested the assassination of President Mugabe at their first meeting and a deal was struck. ibid.
The democratic process threatens to reinstall him. ibid.
A regime that imprisoned Robert Mugabe for ten years and killed thousands of his supporters; a regime that remarkably lasted until 1980. ibid.
In 1871 a German geologist exploring southern Africa stumbled across an extraordinary ruins. He was astonished by what he found. A vast stone city stranded in the empty savannah: Great Zimbabwe. Gus Casely-Hayford, Lost Kingdoms of Africa s1e3, Greater Zimbabwe, BBC 2010
This coast [Mozambique] was central to an international trade in gold. ibid.
Great Zimbabwe was at its zenith in the 13th and 14th centuries. ibid.
A wealth of trading goods … have been found here. ibid.
2007: This is Mike Campbell, my father-in-law. There’s a lot more to him that perhaps first meets the eye. Mike’s much more at ease back on the farm checking the mango crop or teaching the children how to fish. It’s quite surreal that someone who at heart is as gentle as Mike is about to take on a man who has brought death to thousands. In a few minutes time Mike will be facing a dictator in an international court. Mugabe and the White African, Amazon 2022
I’ve got nowhere else in the world to go. Mike
While accepting Mike’s case the court adjourned for three months. ibid. caption
In the last ten years Zimbabwe has descended into chaos. Mugabe’s land reform has evicted 4,000 white farmers. Thousands are starving under Mugabe’s regime. ibid.
There’s no law and order and we can’t go to the police. ibid. Mike
According to the government of Zimbabwe, they’ve cancelled all Title Deeds now, and all land in the country belongs to the government; by the stroke of a pen they’ve taken it over. ibid.
Al Jazeera’s Investigations Unit infiltrates the rival gangs that control Africa’s gold. Gold Mafia I: The Laundry Service, Al Jazeera 2023
Organised crime groups use gold to launder money. ibid.
Zimbabwe’s gold exports are worth up to $2 billion a year. It’s a cash business. ibid.
Macmillan and his rival gold dealer Pattni work for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, the country’s central bank. ibid.
The gold is delivered to a company owned by Zimbabwe’s Reserve Bank. In return for their services Pattni and Macmillan are given licences to sell the gold abroad. The competing Mafia fly the gold to Dubai and sell it there. They bring the proceeds bank to Zimbabwe in US dollars cash. ibid.
‘The Gold Mafia is bigger than the government, bigger than the authorities.’ Gold Mafia II: Smoke & Mirrors
A money launderer corrupts Africa’s banks. ibid.
The Diplomatic Mafia has already offered Mr Stanley a laundry service. Henrietta Rushwaya (Zimbabwe Miners Federation) plays a central role in the money laundering plan. She is related to the president (niece). ibid.
Simon Radland runs his own Mafia from money earned through his cigarette company. ibid.
‘The biggest challenge Zimbabwe now faces is the Gold Mafia.’ Gold Mafia III: El Dorado
A Gold Mafia in Dubai helps the team launder money. ibid.
Ambassador Uebert Angel, Diplomatic Mafia, he’s also a self-proclaimed prophet. ibid.
Rikki Doolan, Diplomatic Mafia, is from the north-east of England; he’s rated to Ambassador Angel through marriage; he’s known as Pastor Rikki. ibid.
Aleck Yasini is part of a network of private couriers who smuggle cash and gold in and out of Dubai. ibid.
Alistair Mathias, gold trader, he’s a financial architect for corrupt politicians. ibid.
‘When you work you must always have the king with you, the president.’ Gold Mafia IV: Have the King With You, Pattni
Mohamed Khan, one of South Africa’s most successful money launderers. He’s also known as Mo Dollars. ibid.
Scott Sakupwanya, pro-Mnangagwa activist, the new Mr Gold. ibid.
2017: The president has been in power for 37 years. The country he once led to independence is in chaos. Elections are rumoured to be rigged and the people are oppressed, and dissent can be crushed with extreme violence. How to Survive a Dictator with Munya Chawawa, Channel 4 2022
Upon release he fled to neighbouring Mozambique where he took charge of Zanu PF. ibid.
Matabeleland: ‘They just went in and killed 20,000 people.’ ibid. old journalist
Mugabe was wined and dined by the wider world. ibid.
He empowers the government to seize back white-owned farms. ibid.
For Mugabe the fall from grace would be long and bloody. ibid.