| Dr. Gideon Gono |
|
|---|---|
| Gono after presenting a monetary policy statement to the Parliament of Zimbabwe, 2008. | |
| Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2003 |
|
| President | Robert Mugabe |
| Preceded by | Leonard Tsumba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 November 1959 Rhodesia and Nyasaland |
| Political party | Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front |
| Spouse(s) | Hellen Mushanyuri Gono |
| Residence | Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Alma mater | University of Zimbabwe |
| Profession | Banker |
| Religion | Christian |
Gideon Gono (born November 29, 1959) is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and former CEO of the Jewel Bank, formerly known as the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe.[1][2] Rapid expansion of the money supply on his watch has been blamed for contributing to Zimbabwe's hyperinflation.[3]
For his part in the hyperinflation, Gono was awarded an Ig Nobel parody prize in 2009 for "giving people a simple, everyday way to cope with a wide range of numbers by having his bank print notes with denominations ranging from one cent to one hundred trillion dollars".[4]
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He started his career with government owned ZimBank, before moving to the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe. He was appointed by Professor Jonathan Moyo to head the University of Zimbabwe Council where he was awarded with an honorary degree. During this time, he was the personal banker of Robert Mugabe, up until he was appointed as Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Gono was first appointed as Governor of the Reserve Bank in November 2003. In November 2008, Gono was reappointed to a new five year term as Governor, beginning on December 1, 2008.[5]
After taking over the governorship of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gono implemented a host of highly-criticized policies. The main criticism comes from his policies' exacerbation of the economic decline of Zimbabwe. Since he became governor, there have been a number of problems:[6]
Gono has printed enormous quantities of money against the advice of economists, but with full support from Robert Mugabe. As predicted by the textbook quantity theory of money, this practice has devalued the Zimbabwean dollar and caused hyperinflation.
Gono demonetized old bank notes on August 1, 2006 and introduced a new currency. Each new Zimbabwe dollar was worth 1000 old Zimbabwe dollars.[13] The highest denominations for the new currency were 1, 10, and 100 thousand revalued dollars. A year later on August 1, 2007, he authorized a 200 thousand dollar denomination. This marked the start of a series of new denominations issued in rapid succession, including 250, 500, and 750 thousand dollars (December 20, 2007); 1, 5, and 10 million dollars (January 16, 2008); 25 and 50 million dollars (April 4, 2008); 100 and 250 million dollars (May 5, 2008); 500 million and 5, 25, and 50 billion dollars (May 20, 2008); and 100 billion dollars (July 21, 2008). From the time of currency revaluation to the beginning of June 2008 the money supply in the country has increased from $45 billion to more than $900 quadrillion, or a 20,000,000 fold increase.
Gono denied media reports that claimed he was against price cuts that the government instituted to arrest inflation. As time went by, it became apparent that the RBZ had instituted price cuts that saw bare shelves in shops and many businesses closing.[14] He has sent in the police to arrest businessmen for failing to reduce their prices. On one occasion, he personally visited shop owners in Harare to demand they lower prices.[15] Despite these efforts, inflation in Zimbabwe remains the world's highest.[16][17]
Critics have noted that most of Gono's monetary policy statements in the past have had biblical references. Notably, he usually ends in policy statements to the Parliament of Zimbabwe thus: "In the Lord's hands, I commit this Monetary Policy Framework for our economic turnaround."[18]
A number of banks have been raided and their operating licences cancelled.[19][20][21] Critics blame Gono for closing 16 money transfer agencies. He has traded foreign currency on the black market, an activity he vowed to crush when he became governor of the bank.[22]
The governor has spearheaded the campaign to make the land reform program a success. As such, Gono has placed the RBZ at the forefront of fertilizer and machinery procurement. A number of scandals have come to light, especially with the procurement of fertilizer, that implicate Gono.[23]
Backed by vice president Joyce Mujuru, Gono has several times called for an end to the farm invasions sanctioned by the ZANU-PF party, as these destroy the Zimbabwean economy.[24] Gono's criticism of farm takeovers is in sharp contrast to statements made by other ministers, including Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa.
In an interview with the state-controlled The Herald newspaper, he said, "I have openly condemned such retrogressive acts as destruction of horticultural greenhouses, decimation of tobacco barns, institution of fresh farm invasions".[25] "There are too many subdivisions among us, too many contradictions, too much infighting among ourselves, incredible suspicion and mistrust of one another," Gono said.
Gono has admitted that his efforts to rescue and improve the economy of Zimbabwe have failed.[26] Gono said there were several factors that were outside the central bank's control, which made it difficult to rein in inflation. "Some of those factors are within the governor's control and influence while others such as politics, sanctions, droughts, under-utilisation of farms, disruptions at those farms, rampant corruption, indiscipline, law and order are factors outside the governor's control," he said in an interview with The Herald newspaper.[27] He has also blamed the failure of the economy on sanctions imposed on the country, a charge critics dispute.[28]
Critics and civic leaders allege that Gono has kept his job as the governor mainly through Mugabe's patronage. Mugabe has not only shielded Gono from his critics, but has commended him in his activities as governor despite the extreme deterioration of the Zimbabwean economy.[29] He had been Mugabe's banker for a long period before becoming governor of the RBZ.[30]
Gono and his wife live in Borrowdale Brook, a northern suburb of Harare. They have just completed on construction of a new "castle-like" house, equipped with: 47 en-suite bedrooms; a glass swimming pool with underlights; a gym; mini-theatre; and landscaped gardens. Estimated to have cost USD $5 million, it is equipped with iris-scanning security measures as well as extensive camera coverage aiding perimeter control. It is also, perhaps conveniently, just a short drive away from (and indeed larger than) President Robert Mugabe's own private residence.[31]
Like many of Mugabe's inner circle, Gono also owns numerous farms which were confiscated from localised white farmers. One is near Norton, which, when the seasonal weather is dry, draws clean water through a 25 mile long pipeline linked to a reservoir, which is supposed to supply water for the people of Harare. Gono also owns property in Malaysia.[31]
In November 2008, Gono published a book titled “Zimbabwe's Casino Economy: Extra-ordinary Measures for Extra-ordinary Challenges” describing the post-colonial economy of Zimbabwe particularly during the first five years (2003–2008) of his term as Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)".
On October 24, 2010, the South-African newspaper Sunday Times ran a story claiming that Gono had an affair with Grace Mugabe, the wife of President Robert Mugabe.[32] Later it was speculated that the story could have been made up as a part of internal fighting inside the ruling party or the RBZ [33]
Gono is banned from travelling to the United States and EU member states because of his position in the Zanu-PF government of Zimbabwe. He was added to the EU's list of individuals subject to personal sanctions—a ban on travel to the EU and the freezing of any assets there—in July 2008, following the controversial 2008 presidential election, in which Mugabe was re-elected amidst serious political violence.[34]
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