President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Deputy Prosecutor General (PG) Nelson Mutsonziwa to the position of Acting PG following the resignation of Kumbirai Hodzi.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda confirmed the development in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“His Excellency the president of the republic of Zimbabwe Cde E.D Mnangagwa has in terms of section 340 of the Constitution appointed Mr Nelson Mutsonziwa as Acting Prosecutor General following the resignation of former Prosecutor General Kumbirai Hodzi,” Sibanda said.
“The appointment is with immediate effect.”
Hodzi resigned last Friday following allegations that the President had received a dossier containing corruption controversies within the NPA office he led.
Nehanda Radio, however, took a sneak peek into the previous conduct of Mutsonziwa as a junior prosecutor.
In 2019, Mutsonziwa was a state counsel in the case against former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who was facing abuse of office charges after he allegedly instructed junior officers at Avondale Police Station in Harare to release former Zimbabwe National Road Administration acting chief executive Moses Juma and former board member Davison Norupiri from the cells.
Mphoko served as the VP after his appointment by late former President Robert Mugabe from 2014 to 2017. His term was ended by Mnangagwa following the dissolution of the cabinet on 27 November 2017.
This was after Mnangagwa had overthrown Mugabe through a military coup.
Mphoko was believed to be one of the G40 members, a faction that was opposing Mnangagwa’s plans to succeed Mugabe during the run up to the coup.
In 2016, Mutsonziwa was among a group of people who were organised by Mnangagwa, then Vice President, to arrest then Higher Education minister Professor Jonathan Moyo for allegedly stealing US$270 000 which was used to finance Zanu-PF programmes outside the Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef)’s mandate.
On October 3, 2016, Mnangagwa had allegedly convened a meeting attended by three Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) commissioners Job Wabhira, Nanette Silukhuni and Denford Chirindo which was joined by Nelson Mutsonziwa of the NPA. The agenda was the arrest of Moyo.
Later that month, ten ZACC officers stormed the Zanu-PF headquarters intending to arrest Moyo while the Zanu-PF politburo was in session. They were stopped by Mugabe. The Zimdef scandal subsequently died after Mugabe’s intervention.
In 2020, Mnangagwa’s administration through the NPA officially approached the South African government to facilitate the extradition of former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere to Zimbabwe to answer to four counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.
The state media reported that the indictment papers had been prepared and Kasukuwere would be tried when he was brought home.
Mutsonziwa, representing the state, in an affidavit commissioned by chief law officer Chris Mutangadura, assured the South African government that the criminal charges preferred against Kasukuwere were not political and that he should be brought to court within a reasonable time for justice to prevail.
There was, however, no formal extradition agreement between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“This request is not being pursued for political reasons or any ulterior purpose. Zimbabwe guarantees that Saviour Kasukuwere will receive a fair trial in terms of the laws of Zimbabwe.
“The Republic of Zimbabwe also undertakes to render assistance to the Republic of South Africa in any criminal matter,” reads part of the request.
Kasukuwere, Moyo and their colleagues Walter Mzembi and Patrick Zhuwao fled Zimbabwe after Mnangagwa’s coup.
The Zanu-PF leader is still working on measures to extradite them. The appointment of Mutsonziwa is likely to speed up the process. Nehanda Radio
Where is hodzi now
Victor Nyoni he is paying for his sins through a stroke he suffered recently. I’ll health has retired him because he was reluctant to retire