A local businessman has accused former Information
Communication Technology minister Supa Mandiwanzira of arm-twisting him to
seize control of the now-defunct Rainbow Airlines.
Frank Humbe, who is suing Mandiwanzira for $350 000 over
the failed business partnership deal, told the High Court last week that the
Zanu PF MP had destroyed his dreams.
Humbe said he founded Rainbow Airline in 2013 and acquired
an air service permit which was followed by an air operator’s certificate from
the Transport and Infrastructure Development ministry and Civil Aviation
Authority of Zimbabwe.
“To start operations, I approached financial institutions
and some individuals for funding, but unfortunately it was very difficult
because the economy was not doing well,” he said.
“Sometime in May 2016 I had a meeting with Mandiwanzira at
his radio station’s ZiFM offices in Newlands after being introduced to him by a
friend.”
Humbe said the former minister expressed interest in the
project after he told him about his dream.
“We needed $600 000 to kick-start the project since most of
the work had been done and he agreed to provide the money,” he said.
“I offered him 40% shareholding, but he argued that as a
cabinet minister he wouldn’t like to be seen as a junior partner in the project
and he proposed to have 50% shareholding and he was with one Gilbert Muponda,
who was introduced as a business partner and would stand in for the minister
during negotiations.”
Humbe said he acceded to Mandiwanzira’s demands because he
was desperate for the project to take off.
“Mandiwanzira’s team fronted by Muponda started to be too
aggressive against me, piling a lot of unreasonable accusations and he demanded
more shares and threatened that they were not going to put more money if I
refused to give him another 20% shares,” he alleged.
“I had no funds at that time, no investor and I was left
with no option, but to accept. Muponda then prepared an addendum for the new
agreement and they would pay me $150 000 cash for the extra 20%.”
Humbe said after signing the new agreement, Mandiwanzira
took all the documents to his office, and after four weeks he was surprised
when he was allegedly given “forged documents of the agreement with different
terms”.
“When I raised my displeasure over the forged contract,
Mandiwanzira, who was with his brothers Richard and Robson, and Muponda, came
to me fuming, saying he would use his political muscle to grab the project,” he
claimed.
“Mandiwanzira told me he would take me to the cleaners and
was not going to change anything. He said even if I went to court I would never
win the case.”
Humbe said when he eventually cancelled the agreement
through his lawyers, he started receiving death threats. Standard
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