Former president Robert Mugabe’s wealth will be revealed in
a few days’ time, putting to rest much speculation and conjecture.
This week the Master of the High Court is expected to give
the full list of what he owned, including investments, houses, cash and gifts
ranging from cattle, precious minerals and even wild animals.
A Government gazette published on November 15 confirmed the
registration of the estate.
“Notice is hereby given that the estate of the
under-mentioned deceased persons, minors or persons whose whereabouts are
unknown, are unrepresented and that the next of kin, creditors or other persons
concerned are required to attend on the dates and at the times and places
specified, for the selection of an executor, tutor or curator dative, as the
case may be,” read the notice, which appeared with Cde Mugabe’s name.
The estate, if published in full, will either confirm or
put paid to various truths and untruths held by the public.
Cde Mugabe died in Singapore on September 6 after battling
ill-health since April. He was 95.
His widow, Grace, daughter Bona and sons, Robert Jnr and
Bellarmine Chatunga, are likely to be beneficiaries of whatever the late former
president left behind.
Although his private life was largely considered
inscrutable, various incidences, court cases and reports from foreign
publications gave a sneak peek to the extent of his possessions.
Sources privy to the compilation of Cde Mugabe’s estate
told The Sunday Mail that at least three law firms — Uriri Attorneys-at-Law;
DSL, a security services outfit; and Venturas and Samkange Legal Practitioners
— are responsible for the onerous task.
Family lawyer, Mr Terrence Hussein, of Hussein Ranchod is
reportedly superintending over the process.
So taxing is the job, they further add, that it might not
be possible to complete the task by Thursday.
“The date that the estate is expected to be registered by
9.30am is not possible anymore as there is still so much that needs to be put
together by the different law firms,” said the
source.
“Maybe in the next three weeks . . . There is so much that still needs to be
compiled. The interests of the party (Zanu-PF) and its former First Secretary
had become conflated.”
It is believed that part of Cde Mugabe’s wealth, as an avid
farmer then, includes “5 000 cattle from farms in Mwenezi, Norton, Hurungwe,
Chivhu and Beitbridge”, 11 combine harvesters and “many houses donated to him
since 1980, and buildings not just in Harare, but all over Zimbabwe”.
Added the source: “Here in Harare (Cde) Mugabe owned whole
blocks of buildings in some streets . . . The estate is so vast those boys (Cde
Mugabe’s two sons) do not have to work a single day if everything is accounted
for . . .”
However, so varied are accounts of his riches that while
Celebrity Net Worth — a reputable publication that tracks the wealth of
celebrities and influential people — put his worth at US$20 million, in 2001
United States authorities estimated it to be over US$1,7 billion.
Some close family members, who elected to remain anonymous
because of the sensitivity of the matter, told The Sunday Mail that some of Cde
Mugabe’s wealth had already been divided up and might never be made public.
Family spokesperson Mr Walter Chidhakwa recently told this
publication that the late revolutionary’s belongings were distributed in
accordance with traditional custom at a memorial held in Zvimba on October 19.
The family flagship property, the palatial Blue Roof
mansion in Borrowdale, is valued around US$9 million. However, the Blue Roof
and Mount Pleasant houses were both Zanu-PF properties.
They are currently being transferred to the family. It is
unclear whether they will be included in Cde Mugabe’s estate.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya Moyo said the process
of regularising the properties had begun as soon as the President Mnangagwa
gave the order.
“The President is a man of his word. Have you heard the
Mugabes complaining?” Cde Khaya Moyo confirmed.
Talk of offshore properties in Malaysia, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Dubai and South Africa could not be independently verified by last
week. Again, there are claims that the family owns 16 commercial farms.
But, even if confirmed, it would be difficult to include
them in Cde Mugabe’s estate as they are considered State land.
Using information already in the public domain, material
from confidential sources and scouring the internet, The Sunday Mail unpacks some
of Cde Mugabe’s wealth.
The Blue Roof mansion sits on a sprawling property situated
in a neighbourhood that boasts some of the country’s most expensive properties.
When Zanu-PF bought the land in 1999 and donated it to its
then First Secretary, the Mugabes extended it by buying five adjacent
properties.
It has a lake and a zoo/game park carrying the choicest
animals from Zimbabwe’s wild.
The property reportedly has 25 bedrooms with ensuite
bathrooms and spas, an office complex, reception rooms, a large outdoor pool, a
massive dining room that can seat more than 30 guests, a large master bedroom
and a multimillion-dollar radar system.
When put together, the land value, actual house and the
contents of both the house and the “mini game park” could be worth a fortune.
There is also the Mt Pleasant house along Quorn Avenue,
which was donated to Mrs Bona Mugabe-Chikore — Cde Mugabe’s eldest child —
after her marriage on March 1 2014.
It is relatively modest, yet is worth so much.
“It still sits in a prime area, and the fact that its
previous owner is the late president sets it apart from other properties.
Improvements made there, including security systems, make this a high-value
property,” said a real estate agent, who declined to be named.
Amai Mugabe Group of Schools, which offer educational
services to both day and boarding students from primary to high school, are
also a multimillion-dollar investment that is part of the portfolio.
They sit on extensive grounds and have top-notch
infrastructure, sports facilities, hostels that resemble hotel rooms and
state-of-the-art classroom furniture.
And then there is the Highfield property that was bought
when Cde Mugabe was still a teacher.
It still has pre-independence bullet holes and is
considered a historical monument. The Gweru house in Woodlands Park that was
built and handed over to Cde Mugabe was also turned into a museum of sorts. It
tells the story of Robert Mugabe through pictures.
The Sunday Mail can authoritatively confirm that ii will be
included as part of Cde Mugabe’s properties as well.
In addition, the Mugabes reportedly made substantial
amounts of money from their farming ventures.
The late president was a cattle rancher of note and on his
89th and 90th birthdays he received 89 and 90 beasts, respectively, from former
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono.
Rare glimpse
A small glimpse of the Mugabes wealth came to light in 2015
when a dispute over ownership of a US$6 million luxury villa situated inside
the JC Castle in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong spilled into the courts.
The South China Morning Post revealed the value of the
property, believed to have been bought in 2013.
Further, former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s decision to sue a
diamond dealer, Lebanese businessman Mr Jamal Joseph Ahmed, after a fallout
over a US$1,3 million 100-carat diamond ring in 2016 also set tongues wagging.
Also, in 2017 news reports from South Africa claiming that
Mrs Mugabe spent 45 million rand on a 9 249-square-metre villa in Sandhurst, in
the posh suburb of Sandton, also captured the imagination of many people.
They are many other properties that were linked to the
former First Family.
Perhaps the most interesting court case was the one in
which four suspects — Constance Mugabe (50), Saymore Nheketwa (47), Andrew
Mahumbe (37) and Johannes Mapurisa (50) — were hauled before Chinhoyi
magistrate Mr Tawengwa Chibanda in January this year for stealing a black Polo
Club briefcase that had US$1 million in it.
Apparently, the briefcase had been left in Cde Mugabe
library at his rural home in 2016.The family’s best-known business besides
farming and a school is Gushungo Holdings, which has several subsidiaries,
including Alpha Omega Dairy.
Notwithstanding debts, the company’s assets alone could be
worth several millions of US dollars.
The Mugabes own several top-of-the-range vehicles, some of
which the late former president used while in office.
His custom-made Mercedes S600L built to withstand AK-47
bullets, landmines and grenades is now parked at the Blue Roof.
It now has new number plates. Cde Mugabe also owned several
vintage cars, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, which is a collector’s item
as only 18 were ever manufactured.
Mrs Mugabe herself is chauffeured in latest SUVs while her
sons regularly post expensive cars on their social media handles. Sunday Mail
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