The recent exposé by Al Jazeera Investigative Unit on Africa’s Gold Mafia has sent shockwaves throughout the world.
The much-awaited documentary has shed light on the disturbing reality of money laundering and gold smuggling in Southern Africa, revealing the names of individuals allegedly involved in these illegal activities.
Interestingly, South African companies and individuals were named in the Al Jazeera documentary.
Below are the companies and individuals named in the Gold Mafia documentary and their alleged roles:
Gold Leaf Tobacco (Laundering & Smuggling)
Al Jazeera undercover journalists were able to establish that Simon Rudland runs his own gold smuggling activities via his company Gold Leaf Tobacco.
Gold Leaf Tobacco, one of southern Africa’s biggest cigarette brands, especially on South Africa’s black market. The company, said denied any involvement in money laundering, and gold smuggling.
Gold Leaf Tobacco’s assets were frozen in August 2022 by a South African court while they were being investigated by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for tax evasion.
According to SARS investigators, Gold Leaf Tobacco may be involved in money laundering and could potentially owe up to R3 billion in undeclared income tax, value-added tax (VAT), and other taxes.
Sasfin Bank (Laundering)
Interestingly, banking and financial services group, Sasfin Bank officials were allegedly used by Gold Leaf Tobacco to launder its dirty cigarette money.
SARS investigators told Daily Maverick that a staggering R3 billion in dirty tobacco money was allegedly funnelled through GLTC’s Sasfin accounts in a covert and unlawful manner during the 2017 and 2018 financial years.
South African Airways and Airports (Corruption and facilitates smuggling of money and minerals)
South African Airways Customer Service Agent Moses Nango who works for the state airline at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Zimbabwe, confirmed Simon Rudland’s involvement in gold smuggling.
He even offers to help Al Jazeera undercover journalists smuggle gold. Nango says in the past 23 years as a South African Airways Customer Service Agent he has helped people smuggle gold, diamonds and money.
Nango also named some of the couriers who work for Simon Rudland and how they operate.
“Simon Rudland has got a special deal. What they do is once if they get the gold they get the escort all the way to the airport. there are three to five people taking the s**t out of the country. They carry gold. They do rotations a time they are three people at one flight depending with your volume. When they get by the security check point their bags are exempted to search. They go with emirates from Zimbabwe. EK714, that’s the flight they leave with from Harare to Dubai. They’re normally travelling either business class or first class. Simon has got serious buyers in Dubai already. Somebody is gonna be waiting with the money. The same flight they left with that’s the same flight that they come back with. EK713 when it’s leaving Dubai. They’re all white. There’s Keith Patrick,” Moses Nango says.
Jacob Zuma
Although he is not the central figure in Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit documentary, former President Jacob Zuma makes a brief appearance. Viewers witness Zuma in the company of Kamlesh Pattni, also known as Brother Paul, who was implicated in the Goldenberg scandal that nearly bankrupted Kenya.
In an effort to convince undercover Al Jazeera reporters posing as Chinese criminals of his connections, Pattni unwittingly displays a set of photographs featuring himself alongside various African presidents. In one image, he is seen with Jacob Zuma, whom he identifies as the President of South Africa at the time.
While Pattni’s dealings with Zuma remain unclear, he disclosed to the undercover reporters that he has connections with Africa’s elite.
