By Victor Fanuel
Harare – Grant Wellington Thulisa (Pvt) Ltd director Grant Chitate has been arrested over alleged foreign currency violations involving the import of liquefied petroleum (LP) gas worth more than US$7,6 million.
Chitate and his company are accused of breaching Section 5(1) of the Exchange Control Act [Chapter 22:05] and Section 11(1)(a)(b) of the Exchange Control Regulations, Statutory Instrument 109 of 1996.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), between January 2019 and December 2024, the company allegedly made unauthorized foreign payments amounting to US$7,669,864.12 to import 9,4 million kilograms of LP gas.
Investigations suggest these payments were not reflected in the company’s local bank accounts, raising concerns of possible externalisation without approval from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Chitate appeared in court and was released on US$1,000 bail under strict conditions.
He is expected to return to court on September 2, 2025.
Zimbabwe continues to grapple with illicit financial flows, which experts say have drained billions from the economy.
Between 2000 and 2020, the country is estimated to have lost over US$32 billion.
From 2009 to 2013 alone, losses amounted to US$2,83 billion.
In 2019, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) estimated the country lost about US$3 billion.
A Brookings Institute study found that between 1980 and 2018, illicit outflows represented 13,9 % of Zimbabwe’s total trade.
In May 2025, Prosecutor General Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo warned that corruption costs Zimbabwe an estimated US$1,8 billion annually, undermining investment in critical sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and industry.
