Biti says lithium, gold, and tobacco being smuggled…as Zanu PF sweats over Al Jazeera doccie
Ministers Mthuli Ncube (Finance) and Sekai Nzenza (Industry) have been told to put their heads together and come up with solutions that will plug the smuggling of lithium, gold, and tobacco from the country.
Zimbabwe is reportedly losing a lot of revenue which runs into hundreds of billions of dollars to illicit financial flows and smuggling.
Already there is a documentary that is set to be released by Al Jazeera on Thursday (23 March) detailing how the country’s resources are being looted by elites.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Harare East legislator Tendai Biti revealed that lithium worth around US$2 billion is being smuggled.
Besides lithium, he said the same is happening with tobacco, whose selling season opened recently.
‘’So I urge that the Minister of Finance and Minister of Industry and Commerce should come up with legislation that deals with illicit financial flows from this country.
‘’We are losing a billion USD from tobacco smuggling, a billion USD from gold smuggling on its own and we are now losing possibly $2 billion on lithium alone. Lithium yavakungo pwititika muZimbabwe,’’ he said.
Lithium the new black gold says Biti
Biti added that lithium is the next black gold, with a current price of US$80 000 per tonne.
‘’As I am talking to you right now, the price of lithium is US$80 000 a tonne. That is the new black gold, and we have nothing to show for it. Our people are suffering; 79% of our people are living in extreme poverty, 95% are unemployed, yet on paper, we are a very rich country.
‘’So I urge that the authorities come up with legislation on illicit financial flow and push the UN to come up with an international convention that deals with illicit financial flows,’’ he said.
However, the Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia documentary is expected to shed more light on how natural resources have been smuggled out of the country. The documentary if it is damaging enough, could dent President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 2023 election bid, where he will be locking horns with Nelson Chamisa of Citizens Coalition for Change.
Biti says lithium, gold, and tobacco being smuggled…as Zanu PF sweats over Al Jazeera doccie
