John Bredenkamp has not fled the country

From Business Day (SA), 8 June

Mugabe business ally probed in Harare

Harare Correspondent

Controversial Zimbabwean tycoon John Bredenkamp - an erstwhile ally of President Robert Mugabe’s government - has not fled the country, although his business empire is under official investigation by the National Economic Conduct Inspectorate for "economic crimes". A spokesman for Breco International, Bredenkamp’s holding company, with interests in mining, agriculture, manufacturing, leisure, real estate and sports, said yesterday the prominent magnate had left for London on Tuesday on a "scheduled trip through the normal channels of travel". This comes amid reports that Bredenkamp, who government authorities claim holds a local, South African and Dutch passports, "fled" in a private jet to escape a widening probe into alleged economic crimes. Police have raided Bredenkamp’s businesses, investigating alleged flouting of exchange control regulations, tax evasion and violation of the Citizenship Act. However, a company spokesman, who requested anonymity, said that while it was true that Bredenkamp’s businesses were under investigation, he had not fled the country. "It’s true there are investigations at the moment into a number of allegations, but it’s ridiculous to say the chairman fled the country," the spokesman said.

Bredenkamp, named several times among Britain’s top 50 richest people, has a home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in the UK. He also has many other houses around the world. Asked whether the widely reported fallout between Bredenkamp and Mugabe’s regime could be the cause of the probe, the company spokesman said: "I just don’t know." Bredenkamp, who has business interests around the world, including petroleum trading and aircraft manufacturing, grew close to the Zimbabwean government after he was accepted back into the country in 1982. He had been declared persona non grata in 1980 for unknown security reasons. Bredenkamp has been involved in Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF politics and sources say this is the "real reason behind the investigation". It has also been widely reported that he brokered arms deals for Zimbabwe when it was involved in the Congo war, where he had mining interests before he was forced out in a fierce scramble for mineral concessions with another controversial Zimbabwean mogul, Billy Rautenbach. Bredenkamp, a former Rhodesian rugby captain, was born in SA in 1940 but moved to Zimbabwe as a child.