Killer minister says only ‘prayer’ will be spared

Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere has vowed to extend company seizures to banks, saying there won’t be any sacred cows and only “prayer” would be spared in the indigenisation crusade.

Kasukuwere was speaking at a meeting in Lupane. “They decorate their walls but treat our people like criminals. So those opposed to this policy can do this at their own peril, we are not going back. There is no sacred institution in our country. The only thing we won’t indigenise is prayer to the Lord,” he said.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono is however heavily opposed to Kasukuwere’s company grabs. This week Gono increased capital requirements to $100 million in a move seen as a ploy to derail the seizure of banks being proposed by Kasukuwere.

Critics call the crusade nothing more than ‘legalised looting. They point to Kasukuwere who owns nine farms, despite claims by Mugabe’s regime that they seized white owned land to give to landless blacks.

The Mt Darwin MP owns part of Pimento Farm in Mashonaland Central, South Bamboo Creek in Shamva, Cornucopia Farm Orchard, 500 hectares of Harmony Farm in Mazowe, Bretton Farm, Allan Grange Farm, Auchenburg Farm, Bamboo Creek Farm and Bourne Farm.

Pimento was seized from white farmer Oliver Newton, South Bamboo Creek from farmers N. Richardson and R. Morkel, while Kasukuwere reportedly seized the Cornucopia Farm Orchard from Interfresh in 2006.

His brother Donald Kasukuwere also helped himself to two farms, Usaka in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central and Sangokwe North in Mwenezi.

In addition to the farms Kasukuwere is also involved in oil procurement and distribution, owning ComOil (Pvt) Ltd. He has also managed to so run down United Touring Company (UTC) that it is in serious financial difficulties. He also has substantial shareholdings in Genesis Bank and Interfresh (Pvt) Ltd.

In 2009 he was accused of trying to block fresh investment in the energy sector to force companies like BP and Shell to sell their assets to his oil company. Apart from his reported business dealings Kasukuwere has a murderous past.

Kasukuwere led and sponsored most of the terror gangs that operated in Mashonaland Central. In one example on the 5th May 2008, he “organized and ferried a group of over 300 youths to Chaona, Mazowe where a lot of people were seriously injured and six people were killed.”

The youths were wearing Kasukuwere’s campaign T- shirts.

Eight days later the same mob, led by Kasukuwere, is alleged to have been responsible for the murder of Fischer Chitese, Bright Mafuriro and Sairiro Kamufuto. On the 19th May the group struck again, killing MDC activist Phanuel Mubaira.

Kasukuwere at the time was nicknamed ‘Paraquat’ for encouraging party youths to rub the poisonous herbicide onto the torture wounds of MDC activists. This meant that it was almost impossible for the wounds to ever heal and caused enormous suffering and a number of deaths.