By Staff Reporter
Former Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono has stepped forward to set the record straight to recent claims made by Chris Mutsvangwa, the national spokesperson for Zanu PF, accusing an unnamed former central bank governor of losing Zimbabwe’s gold reserves to an unspecified Arab country,
Mutsvangwa’s allegations, though vague, have sparked unwarranted turmoil within the country and Gono has vehemently denounced these claims, labeling them as baseless and potentially damaging to the nation’s reputation.
In a long statement, Gono chose to address the issue head-on, despite the customary silence typically observed by past governors on current matters.
“Recent pronouncements by Chris Mutsvangwa, the Zanu PF spokesman falsely alleging that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe ( RBZ) lost an unspecified quantity of gold to an unnamed Arab country during the tenure of an “unnamed governor” who served under the late former President Robert Mugabe (MHDSRIEP) put the nation in a state of unnecessary frenzy.
“If such lies are left unchecked with authentic facts, they could become that “little spark” that sets alight a whole forest at a time when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the country at large have more important issues to deal with than waste time attending to veld-fires whose uncontrolled consequences could end up melting whatever confidence the bank is trying to build around itself, the country and this great nation at large. And how dare we dampen people’s spirits at this “celebratory hour” with blatant lies?” wrote Gono
While acknowledging the constraints posed by the Official Secrets Act, Gono emphasized the necessity of transparency in safeguarding the integrity of Zimbabwe’s central bank.
Furthermore, Gono proposed that President Mnangagwa establish a Commission of Inquiry to thoroughly investigate the allegations and provide clarity to the public.
“If this explanation still proves difficult to understand, I would advocate that we ask President Emmerson Mnangagwa to set up a Commission of Inquiry in terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Chapter 10:07) incorporating all interested parties to look into this serious allegation of perfidious proportions and report to the nation its findings in simpler language than I would have done here,” he said
Gono reiterated his commitment to upholding the truth and preserving the honor of those who have served Zimbabwe faithfully and called upon all stakeholders to prioritize integrity and accountability in addressing sensitive matters of national importance.
“The third reason I have decided to take the bull by the horns is the ambiguous nature of the allegations, casting aspersions on many distinguished personalities who served as governors under former President Robert Mugabe and still carry “scars and pride” of national service equal only to a few living souls around during one of the most difficult economic episodes of our country.
“The ex-governors’ integrities ought to be respected and protected in retirement, as well as those ministers of finance under whom they served and reported to. It is my duty to set the record straight for their sake as well as mine, so that our new governor does not take his eyes off the “ZiG ball” to go into the archives of 18 years ago, searching for files and records for a response to this little fire that has deliberately or inadvertently been started with checking facts with all concerned,” said Gono
