Mutasa in-law sacked by CIO for allegedly ‘leaking secrets’

By Silence Charumbira

HARARE – The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) has allegedly dismissed an operative on the grounds that he was related to ousted former State Security minister Didymus Mutasa, NewsDay can reveal.

Felix Chiteme, is brother to Mutasa’s wife, Sabina.

Chiteme, a senior security assistant in the CIO was officially discharged on July 15 after a disciplinary board of inquiry hearing that allegedly accused him of leaking State secrets to his sister.

According to a letter of his discharge gleaned by NewsDay, the disciplinary board of inquiry sat on May 28 at the CIO Headquarters.

The letter dated July 13 said CIO director-general Happyton Bonyongwe had approved Chiteme’s dismissal.

“As a result of a Disciplinary Board of Inquiry held on May 28 at CIO Headquarters in respect of Senior Security Assistant (SSA) Felix M. Chiteme, the Director-General has approved that he be discharged from the Organisation, with effect from 15 July 2015,” read the letter signed by the director of administration.

Chiteme yesterday said he was not allowed to speak to the press.

“I do not talk to the media. I am bound by rules and regulations of the organisation so I am sorry I cannot talk to you,” he said.

Contacted for comment yesterday Mutasa chuckled and referred all questions to his wife.

“She is right here. Talk to her and hear if he ever leaked anything to her,” he said.

Mutasa’s wife yesterday said she was shocked that Chiteme had been dismissed on those allegations.

“He has never leaked any information to me. I do not know what they are talking about. If they have evidence that he leaked anything then I do not know where it is coming from. He is my brother, but really I do not know where that is coming from,” she said.

“He has not even spoken to me about what happened, but I was honestly shocked to hear people say that is what has happened. When he was employed by the CIO VaMutasa was Minister of Presidential Affairs and there was no influence from him whatsoever.”

Mutasa said it was unfair that the CIO had dismissed his in-law when the people that were actually closer to him than everyone else were still in the system.

“I think it is totally unfair. People who I gave farms in Rusape are being dispossessed while they leave Chinamasa (Finance Minister Patrick) whom I also gave a farm,” he said.

“Of all the people that I worked with in the CIO Bonyongwe was the closest and why are they not dismissing him? I think it is unfair that they fired him (Chiteme) because he is related to me.”

Bonyongwe could not be reached for comment yesterday. NewsDay