Push to arrest Mutasa fizzles out

HARARE – Police in Zimbabwe are yet to receive a report on former ZANU-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, against whom criminal allegations have been levelled.

The outgoing Headlands MP, who was relieved of his duties as a Member of Parliament two weeks ago for allegedly going against the path of the party, is being accused of a multiple of criminal charges by his former colleagues ranging from abuse of office to theft.

He is accused of looting confidential party documents when he abandoned his office at the ZANU-PF national headquarters in Harare.

Mutasa is also accused of fraudulently dishing out farms to his relatives and friends while protecting the interests of white farmers whose farms had been earmarked for redistribution under the land reform programme.

Although there have been hints within and without that party that the former ZANU-PF godfather for Manicaland province is headed for arrest, the matter is not yet before the police.

Police spokesperson for Manicaland province, Enock Chishiri, said that no case had reached them yet on Mutasa.

“I am not aware of any such case,” Chishiri said.

Recently, the ZANU-PF Manicaland Provincial executive was quoted saying it had concluded investigations into the alleged criminal abuse of office by Mutasa. The former ZANU-PF secretary for administration has already dragged the party to court.

Mutasa is suing President Robert Mugabe at the High Court challenging the outcome of last year’s congress. He attached minutes of six explosive Politburo meetings held in the run up to congress whose contents ZANU-PF would never want divulged among other sensitive papers.

Insiders say the party is convinced that it has now found the premise on which to press charges against Mutasa.

“The party’s opinion is that Mutasa committed a theft case and would be reported to police soon now that the evidence is there for all to see,” a source said.

Ignatius Chombo, who replaced Mutasa as the party’s secretary for administration, declined to comment when asked about their progress in the matter.

“You should talk to the secretary for information and publicity (Simon Khaya-Moyo). He is the one responsible for speaking on behalf of the party, my duty is to take minutes and generate correspondences,” he said.

But Khaya-Moyo also declined to comment, referring questions back to Chombo.

“I think that can be best answered by the secretary for administration because that happened in his office. I have no idea on its progress. He should be the right person to tell you if they are still investigating or they have concluded the case,” he said.

Questions have, however, been raised as to whether or not Mutasa could really be arrested; and if there was a looming arrest, why the matter was taking long to get to the police.

Political analyst, Earnest Mudzengi, said the whole thing was nothing more than a political game.

“This is basically politics — some political game — a hide and seek type of game,” Mudzengi said, adding, “Obviously there is a group of people within the party using such games to create fear in Mutasa as a way of ensuring that he doesn’t continue to act in a way that is threatening to the party.”

Mudzengi, however, said an arrest could not be completely ruled out.

“He can be arrested or not arrested depending on how ZANU-PF will decide to go about it. A lot of people have skeletons in their closets… and when people become dangerous to ZANU-PF their skeletons can be exposed and used to incriminate them,” Mudzengi said.

Leader of the opposition Voice of the People party, Moreprecision Muzadzi, said it was very unlikely that Mutasa would be arrested.

“I doubt they will arrest him. Mutasa was their minister for State Security and if they arrest him he may divulge sensitive information which could be very dangerous to the party and government. If they arrest him, it would be a very blind move,” Muzadzi said.

Source: Financial Gazette