An undercover report by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit released in March 2023 has shed light on a bigger issue than just money laundering by members of “Africa’s Gold Mafia”.

In the report, Zimbabwean diplomat and pastor, Uebert Angel, who was caught on camera admitting to laundering millions of dollars through a gold-smuggling scheme, made a statement about President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule.

According to Uebert Angel, Mnangagwa will be president until he dies.

Angel and President Emmerson Mnangagwa

“Okay, let me just say don't worry. He will be president, okay? Don't worry about it.This president will be president until he dies. That's all. I've said a lot,” he is recorded saying.

Uebert Angel mentioned his role as an ambassador at large and the influence it gives him in Zimbabwean affairs while talking to undercover Al Jazeera journalists who pretended to be Chinese nationals looking to launder large sums of money.

“I'm [an] ambassador at large. I'm [an] ambassador to 85 countries. But on this special envoy, I’m a representative of the president. That means I can sign contracts. I can sign treaties with governments without the president getting involved,” he noted.

According to the reports, Uebert claimed several times that Mnangagwa was aware of his schemes. “I can call the president now, not tomorrow, now and put him on speaker, it’s not an issue, We are the government.” he mentioned.

“You want gold, gold we can do it right now, we can make the call right now, and it’s done,” Angel told Al Jazeera’s reporters. “It will land in Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe can’t touch it too until I get to my house. So, there can be a diplomatic plan. So, it is a very, very easy thing,” he said.

Mnangagwa, who has been in power since 2017 after ousting Robert Mugabe, served as Vice President of Zimbabwe from 2014.

It is unclear whether Uebert Angel's statement was prophetic or not, but his prophecies have come true in the past.

During the 2020 Ghanaian presidential election, Uebert Angel prophesied President Akufo-Addo's victory. Akufo-Addo received 51.59% of the vote, beating former president Mahama, who secured 47.36%, according to the Electoral Commission.

However, concerns over "vote-rigging" in Zimbabwe's previous elections raise suspicions about the legitimacy of Mnangagwa's presidency.

Uebert Angel's ambassadorial appointment was made in 2021 by President Mnangagwa, who was declared president-elect in August 2018 by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission after obtaining 50.8% of the votes.

 Mnangagwa took the oath of office in August 2018

His opponent, Nelson Chamisa, who represented the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, secured 44.3% of the vote cast.

Chamisa accused Mnangagwa of "trying to bastardise the result," and then proceeded to court but his election challenge was thrown out.

Chamisa lost the 2018 election

Meanwhile, the revised constitution limits the president to two 5-year terms, and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is yet to announce the exact date for the next general election to be held in 2023, but it has revealed that it would be held in either July or August.

Source: The Independent Ghana