Cleopas Chidodo

Cleopas Chidodo was named in the Al Jazeera Gold Mafia documentary. He is the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe Head of Security, who was captured in Episode 2 of the documentary detailing how he assists gold smugglers to avoid detection as they transport their contraband to Dubai via Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

Personal Details

No information was found on his age, place of birth, or family.

School / Education

No information was found on his Junior or High School, or any tertiary education.

Service / Career

Events

First Family No Search

ZW News alleges that Cleopas Chidodo in Gold Mafia alleges that Grace Mugabe hired jets to smuggle Marange diamonds and her army of poachers reportedly killed and processed elephants ivory out of the country. Gold Mafia interviews Chidodo and shows a CAAZ document that alleges there is a protocol that the first family (current and former) are not to be searched at the airport. It says Grace Mugabe flew out a shipping container of ivory without Robert Mugabe’s knowledge, and transported diamonds from ‘a diamond mine’ without being searched. There is no mention of “an army”, or “Marange”. ^[1]

Securty

The Gold Mafia (2023) documentary exposed security flaws at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Security was intentionally compromised to facilitate the smuggling of valuable minerals and cash. Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe head of security Cleopas Chidodo revealed in detail how criminal gangs smuggled ivory, minerals and money through the airport, without repercussion – thanks to his facilitation. Anything you need to take our of the country, that’s my area, he boasted in front of undercover journalists posing as criminals who wanted to smuggle gold.
For smaller quantities of contraband like gold in hand-held luggage, Cleopas Chidodo was also ready to assist. You come to immigration, they stamp your passport. Then I tell you come but use the machine to your right, where you remove shoes, belt what what, just as with the bag scanner, the scanner at this point is also bribed to look aside. You put in the machine, they don’t look at your bag because there will be an arrangement between you and me. After that, you go into the departure lounge and you sit and wait for your plane, he said. ^[2]

Gold Mafia interviews Chidodo and shows a CAAZ document that alleges there is a protocol that the first family (current and former) are not to be searched at the airport. It says Grace Mugabe flew out a shipping container of ivory without Robert Mugabe’s knowledge, and transported diamonds from ‘a diamond mine’ without being searched. ^[1]

Reported Asset Freeze

In April 2023, people named in the Gold Mafia documentary had their assets frozen by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, according to “inside sources at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe”. They include Uebert Angel, Ewan McMillan, Kamlesh Pattni, and Simon Rudland. They are to be frozen until the Financial Intelligence Unit has finished its investigations.

Earlier, according to a memo seen, the FIU directed that the assets of Cleopas Chidodo, David Chirozvi, Mehlululi Dube, and Fredrick Kunaka be frozen.

“A leading think tank” (Veritas) says the RBZ needs to deal with allegations of gold smuggling and money laundering, and the RBZ needs to be audited. The government has said it would investigate all individuals implicated in the documentary, and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) froze assets of Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe security official Cleopas Chidodo, Aurex Holdings official David Chirozvi and former Fidelity Printers and Refiners senior executives Mehlululi Dube and Fredrick Kunaka. Chidodo, Chirozvi, Dube and Kunaka were secretly recorded by the undercover journalists speaking about their alleged roles in facilitating money laundering and smuggling activities. Aurex and Fidelity are both RBZ subsidiaries. The RBZ also froze the accounts of some of the people named in the documentary such as Ewan McMillan, Kamlesh Pattni, Uebert Angel and Simon Rudland. ^[3]