HARARE – Controversial gold dealer Ewan MacMillan says he has President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s gold-studded Rolex watch he claims he obtained from the incumbent’s unnamed son as compromise settlement of an outstanding debt.
MacMillan made the claims when he met undercover Al Jazeera journalists who had approached him sometime ago while posing as gangsters who were seeking his services to launder loads of cash in astounding scenes later reproduced in a four-part documentary aired by the Qatar-based news network.
During the meeting, MacMillan, also known as ‘Mr Gold’, notices one of the undercover journalists wearing a Rolex watch and takes the moment to brag about his own collection of Rolex watches.
In his expensive collection, he claims, was the Zimbabwean leader’s green face gold-studded President Rolex.
“My dad always used to say to me ‘you’ve always got to wear the best watch because everyone looks to see your watch’.
“I have the Submariner; I have the gold Submariner and I have two Presidents.
“And you won’t believe this. You won’t believe this (whispers), this is between us. I have Mnangagwa’s gold-studded President Rolex because the son ran into debt and had to pay the debt off. So, he gave me the Rolex.
“I paid the debt off, and he said ‘please don’t tell my dad’. I’ve got the dad’s watch; it’s blue face with gold studs all around. So, I’ve all that in a safe,” brags MacMillan.
He does not mention the amount owed as debt.
However, MacMillan’s description of Mnangagwa’s Rolex fits the description of a Green Dial Fluted Bezel President Yellow Gold Watch valued at US$41,700.
During the meeting, MacMillan boasts about his close connection to the country’s most powerful man he claims has always rescued him whenever he got into difficulties trying to move gold and that includes cases he has clashed with central bank governor John Mangudya.
“The good news is whatever I told him (Mnangagwa), he did. When I was getting hurt, I said you’ve got to stop it here, here, here and he did it.
“Within two weeks, he fixed everything.
“You know Mangudya’s problem. I said to him (Mnangagwa), Mangudya, I think he’s dirty.
“You need to find him out. ED went and fixed him,” says the bossy gold smuggler.
Despite being in a money-spinning gold smuggling syndicate, MacMillan admitted he felt it could be time to quit as he was now tired of paying corrupt politicians and senior government officials large sums of money in order to continue running the dicey operation.
However, despite his name being dropped severally by different culprits featured in the Al Jazeera episodes, Mnangagwa has refrained from making any public comment about the documentary.
Through information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, his government recently warned “boastful behavior and name dropping by some personalities featured in the documentary seeking personal gain and glory”.
