Controversial arms dealer and Zimbabwe’s honorary consul to Belarus Alyaksandr (Alexander) Zingman has been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Zingman, a friend of Emmerson Mnangagwa, was detained on March 17 following a meeting with former DRC president Joseph Kabila.
South Africa’s Daily Maverick reports that Zingman, was questioned over the purpose of his trip to the DRC but “could not explain.”
His detention has led to “intense diplomatic activity”, the Maverick reported, adding that the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe were both applying pressure for his release.
Zingman was about to get on a plane heading to Harare when plain clothes police grabbed him.
Mnangagwa named Zingman as Zimbabwe’s honorary consul in Belarus in 2019, and the businessman is believed to be behind deals which have seen Zimbabwe import agricultural machines and buses worth tens of millions of dollars.
