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Grace son’s messengers flee for their lives

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TWO emissaries sent by First Lady Grace Mugabe’s son, Russell Goreraza, to collect his “dues” from Kadoma’s Telrose Mine, which is at the centre of an ownership wrangle between him and Jameson Rushwaya, had to flee for their lives leaving behind one of their vehicles last Thursday as the mine workers bayed for their blood.

TWO emissaries sent by First Lady Grace Mugabe’s son, Russell Goreraza, to collect his “dues” from Kadoma’s Tolrose Mine, which is at the centre of an ownership wrangle between him and Jameson Rushwaya, had to flee for their lives leaving behind one of their vehicles last Thursday as the mine workers bayed for their blood.

BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA/NUNURAI JENA

Munyaradzi Kashambe and Mike Chimombe, who are Affirmative Action Group (AAG) provincial presidents for Mashonaland West and East respectively, reportedly fled in Kashambe’s car after the mine workers threatened to assault them.

The officials left Chimombe’s Mercedes Benz ML, registration number ADL8524, parked at the mine premises as the workers pursued them.

Rushwaya confirmed the fracas, although he said he was not around when the incident happened.

“I was not at the mine when they arrived. They proceeded to the offices and ordered all the managers to call for a meeting of all the workers intending to address them to notify them that the mine was being shut down because I was failing to pay them,” said Rushwaya.

“The workers then assaulted them and they all fled in one car leaving the other one, the Mercedes Benz ML, here at the mine.”

Government sources yesterday said Kashambe and Chimombe later came back in the company of some police officers, but could not take away the car as they had lost the keys.

“They left the car and it is still there. They came back with some police officers and assaulted three workers, but it appears they lost the keys to the car so they left it.”

The source said the duo initially went to the mine demanding $30 000 a week on behalf of Goreraza.

Contacted for comment, Chimombe said: “Rushwaya is not being honest. He came to us as AAG to broker a misunderstanding at the mine to which he agreed to give Russell a certain percentage, but now runs to the media misrepresenting facts . . . He knows that we go to the mine to collect Russell’s dues every month.”

Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara said they had not yet received reports of the incident.