By Crime and Courts Reporter — Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Gideon Gono, has told a Harare court that age-related memory lapses are making it difficult for him to recall certain details, including dates, without reference.
Gono made the remarks while testifying as the key State witness in a fraud case involving a Harare couple accused of defrauding him of ZWL$137 million during an alleged takeover attempt of his business, Valley Lodge (Pvt) Ltd.
The accused, Clark Clever Makoni and his wife Beverly Aisha Ndonda Makoni, are facing charges of fraud, which they have denied.
According to the State, Gono engaged the couple in July 2017 to manage Valley Lodge and other properties. It is alleged the pair then forged a CR14 form for Valley Lodge, appointing themselves as directors—Clark as Managing Director and Company Secretary, and Beverly as Finance Director—without Gono’s consent.
During cross-examination, Gono admitted struggling to remember the precise date he hired the couple, attributing the lapse to old age. This prompted defence lawyer Admire Rubaya to question the reliability of Gono’s testimony, arguing that his forgetfulness undermined the credibility of his evidence.
In response, Gono sought to retract the statement, claiming his remarks had been taken out of context by the defence.
Gono told regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje that after discovering the alleged fraud, Clark initiated a meeting, apologised, and offered to pay US$50,000 in compensation. However, Gono said the agreement was never finalised because Beverly declined to sign the deed of settlement and Clark failed to follow up.
The defence challenged Gono on why he had previously signed documents recognising Clark and Beverly as senior company officials, contrary to the State’s claim that the couple fraudulently appointed themselves.
Rubaya also noted that Clark had already been arrested and detained twice—by both the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC)—over the same allegations.
The matter was postponed to July 11 for continuation of trial.