Categories: Stories

Zimbabwe bond notes – a big lie and a fraud!

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), and its principals, are solely responsible for the most extensive and sustained drain of wealth and destruction of people’s welfare in Zimbabwe’s colonial and post-colonial history.

Between 2004, (when Gideon Gono took over as governor of the central bank) and early 2009, the RBZ engaged not only in desperate activities to keep a collapsing regime in office, but implemented massive programs that drained wealth from the people, funnelling all of it to a semi-military regime that has over the years transformed itself into an unchecked ruling class.

Because of the irresponsibility of the ever-hungry elite who are in fact insatiable bottom-feeders, all these resources literally went down the rabbit-hole, creating hyperinflation never heard of in modern times and consigning the Zimbabwe dollar to the graveyard of such similarly mismanaged currencies.

The effect: Zimbabwe’s economy was ravaged, drained of foreign exchange, and left in the intensive care unit.

It is clear to sane minds that the massive transfer of wealth from the people and businesses to satiate the lifestyles of the elites was done by Gono through the printing of money, which happened continuously during his time at RBZ.

After printing money, Gono would deploy bags of cash in the streets to buy off all remaining hard currency.

He had plenty of runners who would offload ‘Changani’ bags of Zimbabwe dollar cash in the streets, bring back hard cash while enriching themselves through arbitrage and looting.

A friend recalls going into the then RBZ head of the Financial Intelligence Inspectorate, Evaluation and Security (FIIES), Mirirai Chiremba’s office at the time, and not being able to see the wall because there were stakes of bearer cheques from the floor to the ceiling.

Remember the case of (the late) Jonathan Kadzura – one of Gono’s runners, who was also an advisor to the RBZ?

When illegal currency dealer Dorothy Mutekede, also Kadzura’s girlfriend, was caught with the bearer cheques, Gono, RBZ and ZRP frustrated the case which was being presided over by chief magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe by disposing of the $10 billion exhibit recovered before it was brought to court.

Continued next page

(1215 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on July 27, 2017 7:40 am

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Recent Posts

Britain says amendment of the Zimbabwean Constitution is a sovereign, legislative matter for Zimbabwe to decide

Britain says amendment of the Zimbabwe constitution is a sovereign, legislative matter for Zimbabwe to…

March 24, 2026

Who started the war?

It is now 47 years since I wrote the short story below for a South…

March 4, 2026

Zimbabwe 2026 monetary policy statement at a glance

Zimbabwe has released its 2026 monetary policy statement in which it seeks to stabilise its…

March 1, 2026

Was Chombo Mugabe’s number two?

Far from it, on paper that is. Ignatius Chombo was one of the longest serving…

February 6, 2026

Zimbabwe’s 2026 citizen’s budget

Zimbabwe on Thursday announced a ZiG290.9 billion budget with revenue expected to be ZiG287.6 billion,…

November 30, 2025

IMF says Zimbabwe’s economic recovery in 2025 is stronger than previously anticipated

The International Monetary Fund says Zimbabwe’s economic recovery in 2025 is stronger than previously anticipated…

November 8, 2025