FORMER Cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere was yesterday arrested after he handed himself over to police for questioning on allegations of criminal abuse of office during his tenure as a government minister.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
Kasukuwere, who is being represented by Jonathan Samkange, was last night detained at Rhodesville Police Station and is expected to appear in court today.
The former Zanu PF national political commissar is facing three counts of criminal abuse of office during his tenure as Local Government minister and another count as Indigenisation minister.
Kasukuwere is linked to various fraudulent land deals, among them dishing out vast tracts of land worth over $2 million to former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s sister, Shuvai Gumbochuma, without following due process.
Gumbochuma was arrested over the same matter last week and released on $500 bail coupled with stringent conditions.
She is alleged to have fraudulently acquired stands number 139 and 140 Gullingham Estate, Dzivarasekwa, in March 2015 from the Local Government ministry after misrepresenting that she had capacity to develop residential stands in the area.
Gumbochuma was then required to pay intrinsic land value of $424 426 to the ministry.
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It is alleged Gumbochuma, who had neither the capacity to pay for the land nor develop it, then created and registered a company, Scanlen (Pvt) Ltd, as a vehicle to further her fraudulent transaction.
She allegedly later sold the land for $2 060 000 to N-Frasys, who then paid the intrinsic land value to the Local Government ministry and gave Gumbochuma the balance.
The State alleges Gumbochuma’s conduct was prejudicial to the ministry, as she profiteered from State land.
In February 2016, Gumbochuma allegedly applied for land under Rodonior Investment, an unregistered company, and was allocated 150 hectares of land in Good Hope as per offer letter from the ministry kept as an exhibit.
It is alleged in August 2016, Gumbochuma again applied for allocation of Chishawasha B in Goromonzi using the same unregistered company and on August 4, she was allocated 20 hectares by the ministry, but the offer latter was withdrawn on September 15.
Kasukuwere is also linked to a deal signed by Brainworks Capital boss George Manyere to provide consultancy services to the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) in billion-dollar projects without going to tender.
In 2015, legislators raised concern over Brainworks Capital’s engagement by NIEEB to provide advisory services in the indigenisation of mining giants, among them Zimplats, Unki, Mimosa and Blanket Mine.
The consultancy firm charged up to 2% of the total share value, which could have seen it being paid millions of dollars for its services.
