Eddie Cross, a big-shot economist and former advisor to the President, had to say he was sorry to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He got called to State House after saying some controversial stuff about the President's sons being involved in stealing public money.
Cross had interviewed with Newzroom Afrika, a South African TV station, right before the protests on March 31. In that interview, he claimed Mnangagwa couldn't fight corruption because his family members were part of the problem. Cross said there was a lot of proof that the President's family was super corrupt and some of his kids were doing illegal things on a huge scale.
He even said the amount of corruption in Zimbabwe was probably bigger than the whole national budget. But when Cross got to State House, he had to admit he couldn't back up what he said about the President's family.
In a letter he wrote after the meeting, Cross said he told the President he shouldn't have brought his family into it. He apologized big time. The President wanted to know more about the general corruption claims and asked for evidence. Cross named three of the President's sons who he thought were involved.
The next day, Cross met with those three sons at the State House. But he couldn't provide any solid proof to support the rumors and accusations, so Cross had to retract his statements about the President's family being involved in corruption.
All of this is happening when people in Zimbabwe are really frustrated about corruption. That frustration is part of what led to the nationwide protests on March 31.
Cross had interviewed with Newzroom Afrika, a South African TV station, right before the protests on March 31. In that interview, he claimed Mnangagwa couldn't fight corruption because his family members were part of the problem. Cross said there was a lot of proof that the President's family was super corrupt and some of his kids were doing illegal things on a huge scale.
He even said the amount of corruption in Zimbabwe was probably bigger than the whole national budget. But when Cross got to State House, he had to admit he couldn't back up what he said about the President's family.
In a letter he wrote after the meeting, Cross said he told the President he shouldn't have brought his family into it. He apologized big time. The President wanted to know more about the general corruption claims and asked for evidence. Cross named three of the President's sons who he thought were involved.
The next day, Cross met with those three sons at the State House. But he couldn't provide any solid proof to support the rumors and accusations, so Cross had to retract his statements about the President's family being involved in corruption.
All of this is happening when people in Zimbabwe are really frustrated about corruption. That frustration is part of what led to the nationwide protests on March 31.
