Gono has affair with Brita Masalethulini

Gono has affair with Brita Masalethulini

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By Lebo Nkatazo

ZIMBABWE'S Reserve Bank governor is a bed-hopping love rat who risked his marriage by having an affair with Zimbabwe's most famous beauty queen, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal.

Gideon Gono has been having year-long secret trysts with former Miss Zimbabwe and Miss Malaika winner, Brita Masalethulini.

Even when Gono's wife, Hellin, became aware of her husband's two timing, the mega-rich former Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe boss refused to end the relationship.

Gono now wants to formalise the relationship with Brita by entering into a customary marriage as Zimbabwean law does not allow polygamy.

Amazing details of Gono's tangled love life are revealed to New Zimbabwe.com by friends of the beauty queen. They say Brita is completely besotted with Gono, one of Zimbabwe's richest people.

They reveal that the 43-year-old Gono has been showering Brita -- 16 years his junior -- with presents and promising to marry her.

A friend revealed: "Brita wanted proper marriage and a white wedding but she is not stupid to see that Gono has a wife and a kid which means they have something going.

"Eventually she does want to be recognised as Gono's wife and I imagine she is quietly hoping Gono will leave his wife for her because she is more beautiful, younger and has the celebrity appeal to go with Gono's high-flying business profile."

Gono met Brita, winner of Miss Zimbabwe 1999, several times during fund raising activities for beauty pageants, including Miss Malaika 2002 which Zimbabwe hosted.

Gono was quickly swept off his feet by the charms of the 27-year-old beauty who grew up at a family-owned farm just outside Harare.

While Gono's purse was an obvious attraction for a big spending beauty queen, Brita also has her own means -- having won US$200 000 at the inaugural Miss Malaika held in South Africa 2001. With that also came a BMW convertible and hundreds of dinner invitations with the rich and famous.

We asked Gono for a comment last night but his office said he was too busy preparing for the annual general meeting of the Cairo-based Africa Export-Import Bank which is being held in Harare Thursday.
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