Gono hunted by armed gang

Gono hunted by armed gang - paper

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By Staff Reporter

FIRE swept through maize crops at a farm belonging to Zimbabwe's central bank chief Gideon Gono as he vowed to press on with unpopular currency reforms despite intimidation.

The fire broke out at Gono's farm in Norton, 40km from the capital Harare on Friday, four days after Gono said Zimbabweans had less than a month to hand in small amounts of old banknotes to the banks.

Police have begun investigations into the blaze amid suspicion it may have been deliberately started, the state-run Sunday Mail said.

The Mail also raised fears for Gono's life by reporting on a mystery "armed gang of smartly dressed men" driving in a "4x4 double cab vehicle" which is said to have caused chaos at Gono's flower project in Norton on Thursday.

The men are said to have asked for the governor's residential address before beating a hasty retreat following confrontation with security staff.

A day after the incident, the paper reported, a fire swept its way through the bank chief's maize crop, spreading to neighbouring farms. It took more than seven hours to contain the fire.

President Robert Mugabe said last month some top officials wanted to see Gono dead because of his anti-corruption and anti-inflation drive.

Gono has vowed to press on with his mission to turn Zimbabwe's failing economy around.

He told the Mail: "There is no amount of intimidation that will force me to abandon the task at hand. I will not let the presidium and the majority of the people of Zimbabwe down.

"The mission will not fail."

Last Friday, the privately-owned Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported that senior officials within Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu PF party feared Gono was "now angling for the presidency."

Gono, the paper said, has provoked a "storm of anger". The paper said private political meetings were being held by ministers, including one at a local restaurant where one minister is said to have suggested that "Gono has gone too far and must be stopped now." - Sapa/Staff Reporter
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