ZIMBABWEANS have scoffed at the list of businesses and individuals who externalized funds released by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, saying the biggest looters were still off the hook.
Mnangagwa released a list of 1 844, mostly dominated by diamond mining companies, other corporates and individuals of Chinese nationality who, together, externalized almost a billion dollars.
This followed the expiry of his moratorium which was extended by another three weeks after its initial three months period had expired at the end of February.
But PDP Spokesperson, Jacob Mafume, dismissed the list as non- comprehensive as it had left out “known looters”.
“We are going to learn soon that ED is a comedian. The list is absent of some of the biggest looters the country has ever known,” he said.
“It is a list that raises eyebrows. It is as if the real list has been stolen and we were left with this one. He is just listing whoever took money out and not reversing the onus of proof. He must remember that Zimbabwe has a diaspora where companies also send money to Zimbabwe and the last time they said it was 5.8 billion. Are they criminals,” he said.
Obert Gutu, the suspended MDC-T spokesperson, writing on his Twitter handle, echoed Mafume’s sentiments, saying a number of people had been deliberately omitted from the list.
“Is the published list of both natural and artificial persons who allegedly illegally externalised foreign currency from Zimbabwe accurate and exhaustive? I have got the feeling that a significant number of persons have been deliberately omitted from the published list,” he said.
Aspiring independent Mount Pleasant Member of the House of Assembly, Fadzai Mahere, was not amused.
“Who is missing from the #ListNotList? Bob said diamond companies alone looted $15 billion – iripi? Where are the bigwig politician looters? Where did all the USD cash go? Surely billions were in circulation? Is importing now a crime?” she tweeted.
Alex Magaisa, a political analyst and law lecturer, said Mnangagwa had created excitement and high expectations by making too many promises.
“There’s massive disappointment when performance does not match the words. Surely government has data on beneficial ownership of these companies on the list of externalisers,” he said.
But veteran journalist, Vincent Kahiya said the list contained leads which the media should make use of to dig up the names of people behind the externalisation.
“The externalisation list is already being dismissed as nothingness because media expected it to have names of familiar individuals. A cursory scroll through the list shows interesting leads. This will test our media’s aptitude to probe and expose,” he said.
