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Harare - A list of Zimbabwe's 50 richest people circulating in the country is "garbage", Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said Monday, after his former deputy was included in the rankings.
Longtime President Robert Mugabe, 91, and his wife do not appear on "Zim's Top 50 Rich List", compiled by a firm called X Research and Intelligence and published in the state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper.
Information Communication Technology Minister Supa Mandiwanzira, who used to be deputy information minister, was 31st. The minister, a former president of the Affirmative Action Group and ex-CEO of commercial radio station ZiFM on Monday accused the Sunday Mail journalist who reported on the list of "smoking something illegal".
"How have they calculated my wealth?" Mandiwanzira asked on Twitter. He was one of several Zanu-PF or Zanu-PF-linked officials on the list, ahead of former central bank head Gideon Gono, who was ranked 32nd.
Current Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe chief John Mangudya, who was appointed to his post in March 2014, was 14th.
Moyo, whose name did not appear on the list, said in a tweet: "The list is just awful & some of the people on it who are alleged to be rich are actually scavengers!"
"Maybe one of the people on the 'rich' list sponsored both the 'research' & its scandalous publication," he added later.
A Google search of X Research and Intelligence yields nothing, apart from the survey.
Zimbawe's First Lady Grace Mugabe, 49, who owns one of the biggest dairies in Southern Africa, said last year her husband was "the poorest president the world over".
The compilers of the list named Strive Masiyiwa, the founder of telecommunications group Econet, as the richest Zimbabwean. Well-known businessman Philip Chiyangwa, who is related to Mugabe, came second.
Two of Zimbabwe's most popular prophets are high up: Emmanuel Makandiwa is number 5 and Walter Magaya 23rd.
