The Sunday News
Harare Bureau
ZANU-PF Manicaland Province has instituted proceedings to have former Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa arrested on allegations of murder, corruption, abuse of office, fraud and sexual abuse of under-age girls.Cde Mutasa, once the influential ruling party secretary for administration, is now an ordinary member of Zanu-PF after being linked to the cabal that last year tried to unseat President Mugabe.
Zanu-PF Manicaland Province tasked a team led by Zanu-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa to investigate and prepare a report to be submitted to the police on Mutasa’s alleged illegal activities over the past few years.
It is understood that Mutasa used his official positions to allegedly act with impunity over the years.
Addressing hundreds of party supporters at Vengere Hall in Rusape last Friday, Cde Chinamasa, a lawyer, said his team was probing allegations of sexual abuse, corruption and violence.
He said they had so far unearthed evidence showing that Mutasa infiltrated the police in Manicaland to ensure all criminal reports made against him died a stillbirth.
Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Oppah Muchinguri, who attended the meeting, said once the investigations were complete a police report would be made.
“We have cases of sexual abuse, fraud, and abuse of party and Government funds. He (Mutasa) was allocating A2 farms illegally to his girlfriends and relatives,” said Cde Muchinguri.
“Cde Chinamasa, who is a legal expert, is heading a special task force that is now finalising its findings on these allegations that has been brought to our attention by the people.
“It is said he was abusing under-age girls from the local secondary schools. Police reports were made on these cases and from our findings we have noted that the dockets have disappeared.
“He was so powerful and investigating officers would be transferred from local police stations if they attempted to look into reports made against him. He was operating as a mafia boss and people were beaten up around the Makoni area. We understand that his lieutenants are said to have killed a man and the body was later found in a dam at his farm. He is said to be the one who ordered the killing.
“He would adopt young girls and end up sleeping with them, and as we speak one of the girls (name withheld) has had a child with him. We are also going to look at all the farms he distributed to his lovers and whites.”
Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Mandi Chimene said her office, together with other departments, had since repossessed 12 farms Mutasa illegally allocated to white farmers.
“He was protecting a clique of white farmers around the Headlands area who were staying on gazetted farms. We have since retaken them for proper distribution. Mutasa, with the aid of his bodyguards who operated under the party’s youth group dubbed Simudza Makoni, physically assaulted party members. We have Cde Chitura who was beaten by these thugs; she almost died.
“We have since established that he is collecting $8 500 monthly from party properties. The money is being collected by one Mandi Majoni, his alleged girlfriend.”
According to information gathered by our Harare Bureau, illegal land allocations to his lovers and friends by Mutasa are said to have begun in 2005 when he was appointed Minister of State for National Security, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement in the President’s Office. Cde Chinamasa said the Manicaland Province executive was expecting the next Politburo meeting to endorse their call to have Mutasa fired from the ruling party.
“He committed series of offences. He is probably sick, he still claims to be the secretary for administration. We noted that in his statement published in the private media he said our congress was illegal.
“Mutasa further says that we are corrupt and have a record of being a violent party. It is shocking he is the one who has blood on his hands. People in Makoni know who the father of violence is. He is the one who butchered people here, who soiled the party’s name through his gang Simudza Makoni.
“He is undermining the authority of President Mugabe and we will not sit and watch him continue with his behaviour,” he said.
Mutasa’s mobile phone went unanswered when our Harare Bureau sought his comment yesterday.
