By Jane Mlambo| The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Chief Executive Officer Wellington Takavarasha has claimed that his arrested boss Henrietta Rushwaya is innocent.

Rushwaya was arrested yesterday after being busted by police with 6kgs of gold which she wanted to smuggle to Dubai.

In a statement today, Takavarasha said he spoke to Rushwaya who maintained that she was innocent of the crime she was facing.

“The ZMF has learnt of the arrest of its President Ms Henrietta Rushwaya and is following the case closely. As an organisation we are aware that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We have had the privilege to hear Ms Rushwaya’s side of the story and believe in her innocence. We anticipate that Ms Rushwaya will be taken to court tomorrow for possible initial appearance as part of due process. In the interim we remain committed towards executing our mandate and vision as an organisation,” said Takavarasha.

According to the government, over USD$1O0 Million is being lost every month to gold smuggling with middle east countries being the top countries where the yellow metal is being sold on the black market.