Posted by November 30, 2009
By Owen Chikari
MASVINGO – A massive looting scam of agricultural inputs meant to benefit the poor by senior Zanu-PF officials has been unearthed here following the discovery of over 180 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser stashed in a private warehouse believed to belong to Masvingo governor and resident minister Titus Maluleke.
Police in Masvingo have indicated that they are investigating several senior Zanu- PF officials including the governor. The fertiliser was allegedly looted from the Grain Marketing Board where it was supposed to be distributed mainly to communal farmers.
Police sources say the fertiliser was found in a private warehouse in the suburb of Rhodene and preliminary investigations have shown that the consignment belonged to the Maluleke.
“We recovered about 180 tonnes of AN fertiliser from a private warehouse in town and our investigations have pointed out that the governor had a hand in a deal”, said a police source.
“We have since impounded the consignment but no one has been arrested yet. We are casting our net wide since we have information that senior Zanu-PF officials are allegedly looting inputs from the GMB.”
Maluleke yesterday confirmed that the consignment belonged to him and that he had receipts to prove that he bought it from the GMB.
“The fertiliser is mine and I bought it”, he said. I have receipts and I know those who have impounded the product will soon give me back my things.”
Senior government officials mainly those belonging to Zanu-PF are allegedly using their political muscle to grab the commodity ahead of the intended beneficiaries.
Fertiliser is currently in very short supply in the country and where it is available the prices are very high, placing it beyond the reach of many.
In an effort to support the agricultural sector the inclusive government has provided farming inputs to be distributed by the GMB to farmers at very low prices.
It also emerged yesterday that only people with Zanu-PF links were accessing the inputs while those believed to belong to other political parties were denied access.
“We have been going to the GMB for several weeks and have been getting nothing”, complained one farmer who refused to be named for fear of victimisation. “What is surprising is that known Zanu-PF activist are having no problems in accessing the inputs”.
Maluleke becomes the second Masvingo resident minister to be implicated in a fertiliser scam.
Former governor Willard Chiwewe was implicated in a similar scandal in 2006. He was however not prosecuted because senior police officers blocked his prosecution and ordered him to pay an admission of guilty fine.
Last year several legislators were allocated agricultural inputs. They were prosecuted for abusing the facility.
Gutu East MP Rensome Makamure, Edmore Marima (Bikita East), and Heya Shoko (Bikita West), all of them members of the Morgan Tsvangirai MDC as well as Irvin Dzingirayi (Chivi South) of Zanu-PF, among others, well acquitted on charges of fraud involving farming inputs.
Ernest Mudavanhu (Zaka North), who represents the MDC-T was found guilty of abusing the facility and is currently out on bail pending appeal.
Tachiona Mharadze (Masvingo West) and Evelyn Masaiti, the Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs are currently on trial for allegedly abusing the government sourced farming inputs facility.
Both were elected to Parliament of the ticket of the same MD
Additional Reporting: The Zimbabwe Times
Mr editor, please dig in deeper for scum that takes advantage of poor people and takes their inputs. We need to name and shame morons who are letting us down as a party. I will never support morons who take advantage of my grandmother in njanja there. Peolple must be hung to dry in the public.The problem however is that evidence is not brought forward. We need info in the way it was done by Nyarota during the Willowvale scandal in the 80s.In such a way that Gushungo will have no choice but to act.
We want land to be used properly but as long as morons like this divert the inputs it will never be a success.
One other way I have always believed in is parliamentarians holding gvt to task. Have you seen how they do it down South? Admirable indeed. The opposition should have copies of what inputs were bought and how they were distributed. That way they can follow up and see if the inputs reached their intended beneficiaries. If not, people should be locked up, yes locked up so that culprits realise there are consequences to bad habits.
The problem now is the opposition or should I say former opposition are intrested in getting power using means which will not succeed, covert operations. Zanu pf is best at that and cannot be beaten. Try the name and shame. Whenever evidence is brought forward, copies must be sent to Gushungo himself so that even if he ignores it, he will have known. We always hear that he is not aware.
There is nothing I hate like mambara politicians taking advantage of the poor yet its our tax that buys those bloody inputs, its never from the pocket of the politicians.
Sorry for sounding emotional Mr Editor,its just that I was once ruffled up by some Zanu pf youths for asking an MP about this inputs issue.
P.S No chuckle here. This is a serious matter.
I have nothing to add at this point. I await developments with anticipation but with a certain amount of disbelief that anything will come of this. Justice is VERY selective in Zim (Ed)
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Nothing new or surprising,i for one know what type of LEADERSHIP we have.As is always the case,nothing will happen,he will just go scot-free.
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Abel,the Gushungo of the 70s and early 80s is not the one we have right now.This one is evilish,cunning and cruel.Some say he is the same,only that then,he was more crafty.
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Robert Gabriel Mugabe is one lucky man when it comes to politics.He has morons for opponents. Imagine Musango if Joshua Nkomo had as much support as Morgan. He would have dealt with Mugabe long back. But hey, we always hear that Morgan is the only one who succesfully dealt with Mugabe. People forget to factor in the support from the WEST and hardships facing the generality of the Zimabwean people. Imagine where Morgan would be without these two isuues, NOWHERE. He would be talking to 5 people under a tree in SEKE unit J.
Musango, the Morden Gushungo has more luck on his side that craftiness.Add to that a person who has little to loose and is going for broke.
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I agree only that,in most cases,his opponents help him out.Everytime he is down,his opponets come to his rescue.Look at how he had gone down in 2008,and how MDC rescued him.
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True, imagine if there was a more prepared leader aound beginning of April last year. Zanu pf was caught unaware but what I also noticed is MDC-T itself was caught unaware.Both parties had rigged in different ways and did not expect to get away with it so when results came out MDC-T could not believe their luck and ZPF could not believe their misfortune. That period of uncertainty gave zanu pf time to regroup and mobilise and the rest is history. Imagine if MDC-T had gone out in celebrations countrywide, do you think the Junta would have kulled everyone? After that near miss, Zanu pf will not be removed by the present MDC-T leadership, you can take my word for it.You dont do that to Mugabe twice. Remember the referendum fiasco?
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T.Musango and Abel.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANTED THE MDC TO DO IN MARCH 2008 AFTER THE ELECTION????
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LIKE I ALWAYS SAY ZANU AND ITS PPEOPLE AHEV THIS MENTALITY OF FOCUSING ON NON IMPORTANT ISSUES. e.g HERE WE ARE TALKING OF THIEVES WHO STOLE WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BENEFIT MILLIONS OF THE PUBLIC IN MASVINGO PROVINCE. AND YET HERE IS ABEL AND MUSANGO LASHING OUT AT THE MDC.
WHY CANT WE JUST IDENTFY WHERE OUR PROBLEM IS AND ELIMINATE IT. THE PROPER WAY. WHY DO YOU WANT THE MDC TO GO TO WAR??? WOULD YOU TAKE A GUN AND FIGHT?? YOU SAY THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, AND YET YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU WANT THEM TO DO.
YOU ARE STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD. MUGABE HAS BEEN IGNORING THINGS LIKE THESE, FROM THE WILLOW GATE SCANDAL, TO KANGAI AND THE GMB. ACTUALLY MUGABE NEVER ACTED ON THE CORRUPTION OF HIS GOVENMENT. NEVER.
AND YET AFTER 29 YEARS IN POWER YOU ARE BLAMING A PARTY THAT CAME TO LIFE 10 YEARS AGO. ARE YOU FORGETING BEFORE 1999 THINGS WERE ALREADY GOING DOWN IN ZIMBABWE????
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Baba TEE, I think you are barking up the wrong tree here. Morgan has continuosly been given a mandate by the people but he always makes costly blunders for his supporters.
You ask what he should have done in March? For starters he could have taken advantage of people’s energy from the elections and gotten people into the street to celebrate their victory and throw zanu pf into further disarray. But instead what did he do? He appears on TV telling people to chill while Chiweshe held onto the results for six weeks, in the process the positive energy that people had disapeared and they went on with their usual activities.
After making that blunder and knowing there was going to be a runoff what did Morgan do? Goes around gallavanting to foreign heads of states as if they could do anything to the Junta. Instead of staying put in the country and offering leadership to his people, he firstly bolts to Botswana to watch his helpless people being tormented by a brutal junta that could not believe its luck in surving.
I remember very well reading an article where the MDC was saying there is no way they can loose a runoff, there was even a cartoon with Morgan lying on a hamock, relaxing and swearing that there is noways he can loose to Zanu pf in a run off election. Meanwhile Zanu pf was regrouping, using any means necessary to cling onto power. Morgan realised too late that the zanu pf wave was coming on too strong and withdrew to the dutch embassy, why he chose that particular embassy still baffles me, why not run to SA embassy.Idiot!!
You also ask why people concerntarate on MDC-T instead of looking at Zanu pf which is a problem. I find that a very strange question. Do you think Zanu pf will remove itself after concerntraiting on them? The people have made up their mind that they dont want Zanu pf so have gone ahead and voted for MDC-T. MDC-T as the leaders are supposed to lead the way into converting that popularity into power but that cant happen so long as you have morons in that leadership. Thats why people then turn to the MDC and leave Zanu pf alone.comprehend? So long as there are cheerleaders like you Baba TEE, MDC will lead Zimbabweans up the garden path. Watch.
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(You ask what he should have done in March? For starters he could have taken advantage of people’s energy from the elections and gotten people into the street to celebrate their victory and throw zanu pf into further disarray.)
BITI DID THIS AND HE WAS ARRESTED AND CHANGED WITH TERORISM AND COULD AHVE FACED THE DEATH SENTANCE.
AGAIN WE ARE NOT REMOVING ZANU PF BY FORCE GET IT INTO YOUR THICK SKULL.
WE ARE DOING IT DEMOCRATICALLY. THE NAME IS MOVEMENT OF DEMOCRATIC CHANGE. NOT CHANGE BY WHAT EVER MEANS.
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Biti said ” Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the new president of the Republic of Zimbabwe” fair and fine and guess what Morgan then did and said.
” Lets all exercise patience until ZEC is done with the results”
That was on all international channels. Bhururu tinawo mafaira ese in chronological order. We can send them to you via the editor if you want. You cheerleaders tend to be very forgetfull. Now Biti and Morgan said different things so obviously people listened to the leader who had told them to hold their horses. manje sooo. If it weren’t for international outcry, ZEC would still be verifying results now and Morgan would be saying hold your horses. askana!!!!
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P.S
Its not that you want anything democratically by choice. The truth is you would be brutally crushed by Matibhiri. You let the chance go in March 2008 and now may be too late.Dont fool yourself into thinking you have any other choice now.makainonokera colgate Baba.
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DO YU EVEN KNOW WHAT DEMOCRACY MEANS???
ABEL
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of what consequence is it whether I know democracy or not? Its you I worry about. You seem to think democracy means opposing Mugabe and holding elections every five years.Africa knows nothing about democracy yet pretend to know about it. Thats why we have numerous problems.The very party you support went ahead and changed its constitution without telling people. Madhuku who purports to work for democracy did the same which is why I say you people are thinking so long you oppose uncle Bob then you are democratic. what KAK is that?
The very same man who does not give his wife the option of not going kumusha every Christmas wants to go ahead and pretend like he knows democracy at national level. Africa we are way behind this issue called democracy. We have democrazy more like it.
So to answer your question, I will be honest and say I dont know what democracy is, at least I am honest about it.Do you know what it is?
I will answer that question Abel…It is defined as the rule of the people BY the people.
A more elaborate set of definitions is:
# the political orientation of those who favour government by the people or by their elected representatives
# a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
# majority rule: the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group
(Ed)
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Does what MDC-T did in changing the constitution or what Madhuku did in changing the NCA conform to your definition Mr Editor?
Do you disagree with me that Africa as a continent is very far from democracy?
I know you felt you had to intevene on behalf of your collegues. I am sure he does not have a clue on democracy either. We should stop pretending we know democracy just becase we hold elections every five years. MDC-T and Zanu pf are replicas of each other.Just that the one does not yet have power.
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Baba Tee,i don’t want to dwell in the past.As for your question i believe u got more answers than u anticipated.The real issue here Baba is,no dictator will ever loose an election.Baba Tee(pliz focus)no dictator will ever hand power on a silver platter.
The anticipated free and fair elections of 2013 will come and MDC will win but Zanoids will remain in power.The only group that would have lost out, are the opposition supporters,many would have died singing MDC songs.Then talks to stabilise the situation and go back again to “A”.
Look my friend,free and fair elections in Zim,is just a DREAM.MDC as a party should start focusing on some different strategy,coz yes,they will win the ballot but not the power to rule(govern)
Going back to 2008,it is the MDC that actually gave Zanoids the lifeline by joining this useless GNU.Zanoids were down and out,it was only after the MDC legitimized them that they stood up.
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Musango, I think Baba TEE should have a look at the cartoon in the other website which I am not going to mention since it may be against the editor’s rules.On that cartoon there was Morgan talking to a cobra and saying ” So if i call you Mr snake and not snake will you still bite me?”
Thats the mentallity that MDC-T has got. They think playing Mr nice guy will get Zanu pf to like them.Thats the democracy they are talking about.
I think you are agreeing with me that MDC failed to handle the March 2008 election outcome.Now zanu pf is back in full force.
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Abel,to open minded pple like me,u are 100% correct.What this only needs is, to have an anlytical mind not cheerleading.
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