Gideon Gono’s house goes up in flames

HARARE – Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono’s farm house in Borrowdale, Harare, was yesterday afternoon gutted by fire that destroyed property worth thousands of dollars.

Although details were still sketchy last night, sources said the fire could have been caused by an electrical fault. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Dr Gono’s farm manager reported the incident to the police. The fire brigade arrived later at the scene, but the thatched roof had collapsed and some of the property burnt to ashes.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident last night.

“We confirm the fire incident and we are still carrying out investigations to ascertain the cause,” she said without elaborating further.

Its being suggested the house caught fire after an electrical fault affected a pylon metres from the house.

The manager at Gono’s farm speculated that a strong gust of wind, blowing towards the farmhouse, was responsible for the inferno.

In September 2013, fire gutted Dr Gono’s chicken farm for the second time in less than two months in another suspected case of arson. The farm is located on the outskirts of Harare along Mutoko Road.

Only last month businessman Philip Chiyangwa’s famous “White House” mansion in Harare was gutted by fire.

The fire razed down part of his Borrowdale mansion, causing extensive damage to a number of rooms, including his master bedroom.

Although Chiyangwa was not at the property when the fire broke out, he stumbled on broken glass as he tried to get into his bedroom, which was covered in thick smoke, to salvage important documents.

Just like Gono’s mansion, the fire was also reportedly sparked by an electrical fault.