FINANCE and Investment Promotion Minister, Mthuli Ncube has extended South African wheeler-dealer Zunaid Moti’s African Chrome Fields national project status, allowing it to import 13,95 million litres of diesel duty-free up to December 2026.
The company was granted the national project status a decade ago, meaning it can procure fuel and machinery duty-free, a decision which raised eyebrows. Back then it could import 12 million litres duty-free and the extension to 2026 allows it an additional 1.95 million litres.
Moti made headlines in 2023 after an independent investigation exposed a US$120 million chrome scandal involving President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his deputy Constantino Chiwenga and local tycoon Kuda Tagwireyi.
According to the investigation by the Sentry organisation, the deal was struck on November 17, 2017, during the week-long coup that brought President Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga to power. The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy.
The report made revelations that Moti paid $3 million to firms linked to Mnangagwa and Chiwenga following the signing of the chrome deal.
Known for his addiction to fast cars and cigars, Moti, dabbled in property development and private jets, but his main business in Zimbabwe was processing chrome.1 In 2014 he bought 70% of African Chrome Fields (ACF) and in 2015 applied for national project status which was granted that same year.
The notice on the duty waiver was rubber-stamped by the Finance and Investment Promotion Minister, Mthuli Ncube under the country’s Customs regulations.
“It is hereby notified that the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion has in terms of Section 235 as read with Section 120 of the Customs and Excise Act made the following regulations.
“The Customs and Excise Suspension Regulations, 2003, published in SI 257 of 2003 are amended in section 9 BB as follows- in subsection 2 by the deletion of the words “1st January 2023 to 21st January 2024 and substitution with the words 1st January 2025 to 21st January 2026; approved beneficiary of power generation projects eligible for suspension of duty,” read SI6 of 2025.
The development comes at a time when the Civil Society has castigated some Chrome miners for leaving behind a trail of destruction after tapping into the country’s underneath.
Zimbabwe is home to some 19% of global chrome ore reserves – the second largest in the world. Its chrome store is also of a higher grade than other international sources, with an exceptional chrome-to-iron ratio of 2:1. – (NewZimbabwe)
