Jail bound … Henrietta Rushwaya has been warned she faces jail after conviction for attempting to smuggle gold out of the country

HARARE – Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Beatrice Rushwaya faces jail after she was convicted of attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold worth US$330,000 in 2020.

The judgement was delivered virtually by Justice Pisirayi Kwenda of the Harare High Court on Wednesday following a five-day trial from September 18 to 22.

The judge ordered Rushwaya to be taken into custody as he warned she faces a custodial sentence.

In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said: “She has been detained in custody pending sentence which will be handed down on November 10, 2023.”

Two men who had been jointly charged with Rushwaya – Stephen Chenjeri Tserayi, 47, and Raphios Mufandauya, 40 – were acquitted after the NPA dropped charges.

During her trial, the former ZIFA CEO denied trying to smuggle the gold. She claimed she had two identical handbags and in her rush to get to the airport she had picked up the wrong bag.

She also maintained that she had nothing to hide as she followed the usual protocols at the airport – which is not consistent with someone trying to smuggle gold.

The gold was detected by an X-Ray scanner at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.