Opinion / Columnist
Criminal Enterprises are pose the biggest security threat to Zimbabwe
11 Jun 2018 at 15:48hrs | Views
Last week President Emmerson Mnangagwa raised the issue of bulk cash smuggling out of Zimbabwe. It is very important for the President to understand what is causing cash smuggling: Is it the result of an illegal operation, a black-market bond exchange money laundering process, or some other type of scam. Without identify the cause, the problem will likely continue unabated.
Cash smuggling is the greatest organized crime threat to Zimbabwe. The country does not even know how the cash moves in and out of the country; who moves the cash, when and why.
What we all know is as soon as foreign currency is available, black-market dealers wipe it out sometimes at ridiculous offers. Why? That remains the biggest mystery. The money is not being deposited in the banks. None of us know who is hoarding the money; whether the money is in someone's house in Harare or is being transported across the porous borders. This is a bigger threat to our country; it is causing restlessness among citizens of this country.
What is obvious is that the criminals are not using our banking system since the banking system is heavily regulated. The closest activity that makes sense involves the sale of second-hand clothing. Save Valley Conservative has become a hive of activity from dealers smuggling large quantities of second-hand clothing from Mozambique. I think however, this by itself is not enough to wipe out cash out of the country. In addition, the government can seal this route off in minutes if they want to. Why they have not done it boggles the mind.
I have a strong conviction that there is a stash house / houses in the country. If Western Union's behavior of dispensing small bills is to go by, then there is a bigger sinister operation going on than we can imagine. The dealers are not worried about changing small denominations anymore; with the help of Western Union, the money is arriving at the stash houses in larger bills, thereby reducing mass size and making it easier to conceal. Again, the big question is: do they keep the money at the stash house or it is taken out of the country? If the money is taken out, what methods are employed to smuggle it out? If the money is in the country, where is this stash house / houses?
My challenge to the President is to follow the money. This does not require rocket science to solve. Whether the money stays in the country or it moves out, the criminal enterprise has a path from Road port to the stash house. How sophisticated can they be? Just follow the money.
If the government is serious about solving this problem, I am willing to help them for free in coming up with strategies to combat criminal enterprises. I am sure there are millions more volunteers on standby; the government just need to be serious.
Cash smuggling is the greatest organized crime threat to Zimbabwe. The country does not even know how the cash moves in and out of the country; who moves the cash, when and why.
What we all know is as soon as foreign currency is available, black-market dealers wipe it out sometimes at ridiculous offers. Why? That remains the biggest mystery. The money is not being deposited in the banks. None of us know who is hoarding the money; whether the money is in someone's house in Harare or is being transported across the porous borders. This is a bigger threat to our country; it is causing restlessness among citizens of this country.
What is obvious is that the criminals are not using our banking system since the banking system is heavily regulated. The closest activity that makes sense involves the sale of second-hand clothing. Save Valley Conservative has become a hive of activity from dealers smuggling large quantities of second-hand clothing from Mozambique. I think however, this by itself is not enough to wipe out cash out of the country. In addition, the government can seal this route off in minutes if they want to. Why they have not done it boggles the mind.
I have a strong conviction that there is a stash house / houses in the country. If Western Union's behavior of dispensing small bills is to go by, then there is a bigger sinister operation going on than we can imagine. The dealers are not worried about changing small denominations anymore; with the help of Western Union, the money is arriving at the stash houses in larger bills, thereby reducing mass size and making it easier to conceal. Again, the big question is: do they keep the money at the stash house or it is taken out of the country? If the money is taken out, what methods are employed to smuggle it out? If the money is in the country, where is this stash house / houses?
My challenge to the President is to follow the money. This does not require rocket science to solve. Whether the money stays in the country or it moves out, the criminal enterprise has a path from Road port to the stash house. How sophisticated can they be? Just follow the money.
If the government is serious about solving this problem, I am willing to help them for free in coming up with strategies to combat criminal enterprises. I am sure there are millions more volunteers on standby; the government just need to be serious.
Source - Sam Wezhira
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