Categories: Stories

Zimbabwe’s US$7 billion question

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption chair Loice Matanda-Moyo says some US$7 billion worth of properties and cash have been stashed away by Zimbabwean leaders and individuals in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius and Spain.

This is more than double the country’s budget for this year.

“Informally, we have now identified US$7 billion cash and property all over the world which were siphoned by our former and current leaders including private individuals. We got this information informally. So, now we have to formalise the process so that we start the processes of repatriating the monies back home,” she said.

The anti-corruption boss has vowed to recover as much of this money as possible saying ZACC will initiate the process of repatriating the monies back once the paper work is in order.

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power in November 2017, he gave an amnesty to all those who had externalized money to repatriate it.

At the time, he said US$1.4 billion had been externalized.

Some US$850 million was recovered leaving a balance of US$550 million.

So did Mnangagwa underestimate the amount that had been externalized?

Or was the U$7 billion externalized after the coming in of the second republic?

Zimbabwe is currently under US and UK sanctions, which include asset freezes of designated individuals, especially senior members of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

It is therefore not clear why their assets were not frozen if they are among those alleged to have externalized he cash and properties.

Click link below to receive updates by whatsapp

https://chat.whatsapp.com/IjKB2tQriIv3s0CUZMVUPS

 

(181 VIEWS)

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

Is it true that 4 million Zimbabweans went without food on several occasions last year?

At least four million people in Zimbabwe reported that they had gone without food on…

November 5, 2026

Did you know that four of the world’s largest banks are all in China?

Four of the world’s largest banks are all in China. Assets of the Industrial and…

October 15, 2026

Zimbabwe one of the 27 countries in the world where the richest 0.1% has more wealth than the bottom 80%

Zimbabwe is one of the 27 countries in the world where the richest 0.1% of…

October 2, 2026

Zimbabwe third among the least free countries in SADC

Zimbabwe has been ranked third among the least free countries in Southern Africa but it…

May 24, 2026

Why I had a girlfriend two months after my wife’s death- Take 1

I had always considered it a curse for a wife to die before her husband.…

May 18, 2026

Why I had a girlfriend two months after my wife’s death

This is a true story about the challenges and loneliness I faced when my wife…

May 17, 2026