
And while the minister is holed up in search of breathing
space, ZTA boss, the feisty Karikoga Kaseke has blown Cuban cigar smoke into
the hole threatening to choke the fugitive minister, as he alleges graft as
being one of the reasons why the licence was revoked.
“Mzembi’s wife flouted the terms of the agreement, one of
whose terms was to mobilise resources for the event and make sure the corporate
world got involved and made the event successful outside of government; which
was the reason why we licence it out,” said Kaseke.
Instead, Barbara, whose winning of the licence was believed
to be heavily due to the hand that Walter Mzembi played when he was tourism
minister, went to government and got US$80 000 for the event which was due to
be held on December 9 this year. As a result the event hangs in limbo after the
revocation of the licence.
With his own hands, Kaseke personally stripped Barbra
Mzembi, that Cuban beauty pageant lass of the licence for the event which is
highly anticipated. Stark-naked of that licence, she can no longer discharge
her duties. The event no longer is hers.
Add to that, Kaseke alleges it was improper that government
could be arm-twisted into giving such a whopping amount to a minister’s wife
when other government programmes were being shelved owing to a lack of funding.
But this revocation also brought to light a whole lot of dirt. And ugliness.
And filth.
“If I were to meet the President (Cde ED Mnangagwa) I would
ask him to nip this in the bud where minister’s wives are seen addressing
ministry staff and chairing meetings; with ministers making ministries look
like personal fiefdoms,” he told The Herald.
Yet there is background to the steam. This year Zimbabwe
Tourism Authority staff have failed to go for the largest meeting of tourism
players in the east, in China, the world’s largest tourism market, as they
could not be afforded the $50,000 they needed to attend the showcase. Kaseke
admitted that was part of his anger.
“It is a big market and we failed to market ourselves
there. The fact that the Mzembi’s themselves admitted that they got such a
great amount of money from government for what should in essence be a private
event for which they ought to have fundraised boggles the mind and it is not
fair. People should not get preferential corrupt privileges because they know
people in power. It is something the new dispensation should do away with,” he
said.
While Mzembi was known to always revel in the limelight,
prancing around and twirling whenever Zimbabwe got international accolades
presumably for performing well in the tourism sector, Kaseke said that was the
sad showboating of a ‘loner’.
“There is a leader then there is a loner. Mzembi was a
loner. Anyone who seeks approval for everything and wants to be feted at every
turn is a loner. People should work and not seek praise or want to cajole it
out of his or her subordinates,” he said.
And for the first time we can reveal the REAL issue behind
the further souring of relations between Mzembi and Kaseke. While it is common
knowledge that the ‘carnival war’ was because sponsor (Big Time Strategic Group
Boss) Justice Maphosa had pulled out of sponsoring Barbara’s event and kept on
sponsoring the Harare International Carnival, with Kaseke digging in that he
would continue eating the fruit of Maphosa to fund his carnival regardless, it
is the backroom wars that may raise eyebrows. The beauty pageant had taken
political shades;
“People went to the then First Lady Grace Mugabe and said
Maphosa was funding regime change and yet we were going to negotiate with ZTA
staff for funding for our carnival. Obviously when Maphosa heard that he was
being implicated in political battles he was incensed and so he ought to have
been. I wonder why people believed that man and it made working for the arts
and for the country tough for all of us.”
So big a tattle tale was Mzembi that he even implored the
Chief Secretary to fire his feisty head of parastatal.
“He wanted me fired. If I had done wrong he ought to have
approached the board but because he had no leg to stand on he wanted to twist
the Chief Secretary’s hand. He is a prudent man the CS for having ignored calls
to heed him and keep me in my employ.”
But challenged whether the whole idea to pull the rug from
underneath the embattled Mzembi’s hooves at a time that he is fighting for
political relevance and is down, Kaseke insists it is a fair attempt at
retaining the integrity of the pageant.
“Not at all. We want to give the licence to someone with
integrity who will take this thing forward without jeopardising the brand of
disturbing the flow. They flouted our rules and we have been forced to cancel.
My hand has been forced.”
Mzembi has thrown everything the way of Kaseke. From Zodwa
Wabantu’s underwear, or lack thereof at the height of the carnival with Anne
Nhira as the lead pawn in the war, right down to the name change of the Harare
International Carnival to Big Time in honour of the main sponsor; anything and
everything went. With a diamond spine that couldn’t be broken, Kaseke escaped
unscathed and miraculously so.
“It is difficult to respect a man who thought he was god’s
gift to the world and thought he was the best thing ever to happen to Zimbabwe.
We all have something to contribute and we should use our talents for the
greater good and not manipulate others or do things to benefit ourselves in
unprocedural means.”
“What happened was criminal and they (the Mzembi’s) should
never have gotten money from the treasury and we hope that money is returned as
well as anything ill-gotten in the name of the pageant he said.”
Kaseke has in previous times refused to officially comment
on the real issue behind his tiff with Mzembi. Now, exposing that he had been
labelled a regime change agent and enemy of his government, it has become all
to evident what really caused the longest and most brutal battle to be fought
on the entertainment and arts landscape crossing the borders of government
work.
Mzembi, under a Havana flag, could not be reached for
comment neither could his wife who no longer holds the beauty pageant licence.
And as they prance around together, outside the embassy grounds and far beyond,
Kaseke is yet again giving away the licence.
“Anyone who is competent and has the resources is free to
come and apply for it. The show must go on,” he says.
For a beauty pageant, the hope is this is the last of
anything ugly from what should be a feast of beauty, sensuality and splendour.
Herald
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