Eddie Cross apologies to Mnangagwa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's former economic adviser Eddie Cross has apologised following his public claims that the First Family is involved in corruption. Cross revealed that he met with the President, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, and their three sons after making the allegations in a televised interview.

In a statement released this week, Cross recounted the sequence of events, beginning with his interview on March 31 with a South African television station. During the broadcast, he cited widespread corruption in Zimbabwe as one of the causes behind a national stay-away protest that took place that day. He further claimed that members of Mnangagwa’s family were among those implicated in corrupt activities.

"On Monday the 31st of March I gave an interview to a South African television station regarding the stay away that took place that day across the country," Cross said. "In that interview, I stated that one of the reasons for this event was dissatisfaction with the very substantial corruption taking place across the country. I also stated that the President's family were involved."

Following the interview, Cross sought an audience with the President to address the comments. He admitted to having overstepped by directly implicating the President's family and issued a formal apology.

"On Tuesday, I requested a meeting with the President and told him that I recognised that I should not have involved his family, and I apologized unreservedly," Cross said. "He expressed concern about the substance of my general allegations on the magnitude of corruption and asked that I substantiate this. I agreed to provide him with a dossier of what I understand is going on."

Cross also confirmed that the President specifically asked him to name the family members he believed to be involved in corruption. Cross identified three of Mnangagwa’s sons.

On Wednesday, Cross returned to State House and met with the three sons to elaborate on his claims. However, he admitted that he was unable to provide concrete evidence and had only heard unverified reports.

"I outlined what I was hearing but could not provide firm evidence to support these allegations and rumours," Cross stated. "I again apologized and said I would withdraw my statement on this matter."

The development adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing national discourse on corruption, a topic that has increasingly come under the spotlight during Mnangagwa’s presidency. While the President has repeatedly vowed to root out graft, critics argue that enforcement remains selective and insufficient.

As of now, neither President Mnangagwa nor members of his family have issued a public response to Cross’s initial allegations or his subsequent apology.