Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo yesterday handed himself over to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) after weeks of heckling and mudslinging following accusations he had abused Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) finances.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA/OBEY MANAYITI/XOLISANI NCUBE
Moyo spent the latter part of the day at Zacc offices and was released at 8pm last night, and he is expected to appear in court tomorrow. The minister was released into the custody of his lawyers.
Moyo had all along refused to be subjected to Zacc processes, insisting it was a kangaroo outfit and on Tuesday he accused the commission of being used by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to persecute him, as part of Zanu PFs factional fights.
Zacc spokesperson, Phyllis Chikundura confirmed that Moyo had gone to the commission on his own accord to give his account of what happened.
“It’s true, he has since presented himself to give his side of the story. The interview is still ongoing and I am not sure when they are likely to finish,” she said late in the afternoon yesterday.
Chikundura then had said she was unsure what would happen after the interview, as well as the composition of the interviewing panel.
Zacc is alleging Moyo and his deputy, Godfrey Gandawa, siphoned over $400 000 of Zimdef funds for their personal use.
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Following the Zacc exposé and the subsequent plan to arrest him during a Zanu PF politburo meeting last month, Moyo had steadfastly refused to submit to Zacc, citing what he called political, ethnic and factional persecution.
On Tuesday, Moyo released a damning statement, where he threatened to sue Mnangagwa, Information minister Christopher Mushowe and his permanent secretary, George Charamba, Zacc commissioner, Goodson Nguni, acting National Prosecutor-General, Ray Goba, and journalists from the State media.
In a sudden change of events yesterday, NewsDay witnessed Moyo presenting himself to Zacc in the afternoon.
Moyo, who seemed relaxed, arrived at 3:22pm in a convoy of two vehicles and accompanied by an unidentified man and walked straight into Zacc offices.
Sources told NewsDay yesterday that he presented himself to the commission after he was summoned earlier in the day.
This comes after a Zanu PF committee tasked to probe Moyo’s allegations that Zacc was being used to pursue a factional agenda met to deliberate on the matter yesterday.
Although the chairperson of the committee, Jacob Mudenda, refused to comment on the issue, senior Zanu PF officials yesterday told NewsDay that the team held its meeting to discuss and lay a framework on how to proceed with the probe.
The committee had initially sent a letter to Moyo requesting him to put his allegations against Mnangagwa in writing, as well as provide evidence.
“Please forgive me, I am not going to comment on that issue, I am not saying anything in relation to the work being done by that committee,” Mudenda said.
The committee is reportedly gathering its preliminary findings on the matter, threatening to tear apart Zanu PF, for presentation at the next politburo meeting.
“It has become necessary to have this matter dealt with before our conference (next month). The committee met to see how to handle it and look at allegations that were raised by the professor (Moyo),” a source said.
“Critical is to see whether any cent from Zimdef was channelled towards any party activity and also to investigate if the commission was not being influenced by outsiders through factions.
“The probe is not centred on the VP (Mnangagwa) alone and the alleged meeting he held with Zacc officials, but the independence of the commission from Zanu PF factions. Furthermore, the committee is looking at the manner internal contradictions are being handled.”
Moyo contended that Mnangagwa was abusing Zacc and the Prosecutor-General’s Office to further his quest to succeed Mugabe.
Asked by one of his followers on Twitter if it is wise to “sue your boss”, Moyo said: “This is about the law. In Zimbabwe the law is based on the supremacy of the Constitution and not on supremacy of wisdom, whatever wisdom is,” he wrote.
Without mentioning names, Moyo yesterday claimed a “senior politician owns 739 gold mines, which uses smuggling as their tax-free export channel”.
The Higher Education minister threatened to reveal names to the authorities through “the right channels”.
