It has come to light that the leader of the opposition party, Nelson Chamisa, had a business association with Simon Rudland, who is believed to be the ringleader of the notorious Gold Mafia syndicate.
As per Ewan Macmillan, Rudland is the prime sponsor of gold smuggling in Zimbabwe and is owed approximately US$250 million by Zimbabwe’s central bank at any given time.
Interestingly, Chamisa and his lawyer Thabani Mpofu, who served as his representative during the 2018 election dispute, also represented Rudland in a trademark case involving one of his cigarette brands.
However, their legal efforts were in vain as the High Court ruled in favour of Savanna Tobacco.
Nelson Chamisa’s Connection To Simon Rudland
In 2016, Rudland contested a High Court order that prevented Gold Leaf Tobacco from selling cigarettes with the brand name RG in Zimbabwe. The case had been ongoing with Tonbridge Assets Limited and Cut Rag Processors, who held the RG trademark.
The High Court found that the use of the name RG created a disadvantage to the Remington Gold brand, which was produced under license by Savanna Tobacco, a Zimbabwean company.
As a result, Gold Leaf Tobacco Zimbabwe introduced the brand Rudland & George to Zimbabwean smokers in 2017, while awaiting the decision of their appeal to the Supreme Court.
Zimbabweans React To Chamisa’s Link To Alleged Gold Mafia Leader
The recent revelation has sparked mixed reactions among Zimbabweans on Twitter. Below are some of the reactions:
