The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development last week suspended two of its top directors on allegations they tried to solicit bribes from South African potential investors, Lephalele Mining.
The ministry’s chief director Mercy Manyuchi, together with
the director of the Zimbabwe Geological Survey Forbes Mugumbate, had been
fingered in the scam and suspended, but Manyuchi was later exonerated by the
CIO, which carried out the investigation, according to a document seen by the
Zimbabwe Independnet.
They were accused of soliciting bribes from the South
African investors led by Lephalele chairperson Cliff Motsepe and chief
operating officer Mashile Mokono in a meeting held on March 29, according to
the document signed by a top CIO official.
Manyuchi was cleared last Friday after a letter from the
CIO indicated her involvement was subject to an investigative error stemming
from a mix-up of names and use of an old telephone directory.
Public service commission chair Vincent Hungwe wrote to
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga on May 11, 2021 lifting the suspension
against Manyuchi.
The suspected culprits now stand accused of economic
sabotage of the “Zimbabwe is open for business mantra”.
In a letter seen by the Zimbabwe Independent, the CIO then
clarified the list of suspects.
“On 21 April 2021, our staff telephoned the MMMD [Ministry
of Mines and Mining Development] reception to obtain the name of the director
for research, value-addition and beneficiation and they were erroneously
informed that it was Dr Mercy Manyuchi. This also happened to tally with the
name in the Zimbabwe Government confidential telephone list (the ‘Green Book’).
We have since found that she was not present in the meeting and is in fact now
the chief director mining development,” read part of the letter which was
addressed to Mines and Mining Development minister Winston Chitando and copied
to ministry’s permanent secretary, Onesimo Moyo.
The meeting in question, according to the letter was
attended by the director of non-energy minerals Nelson Munyanduri, who chaired
it and Tichaona Makuza, who is the director of research, value-addition and
beneficiation. The Public Service Commission will now drag Makuza and Mugumbate
for a disciplinary hearing.
The mining sector and law enforcement agents have
specifically come under spotlight, amid allegations of unprocedural issuance of
permits and cases of huge amounts of gold being smuggled through ports,
including the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
Early this week Tashinga Nyasha Masinire (33), was found in
possession of 23 pieces of gold worth R11m, which was suspected to have been
smuggled through the country’s biggest airport.
Last year Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta
Rushwaya was arrested at the same port with 6kg of gold worth US$366 destined
for Dubai.
In an exclusive interview with Zimbabwe Independent last
week, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chairperson Justice Loyce
Matanda-Moyo singled out the Mines ministry as one of the corruption hotspots,
mainly due to the handling of mining claims and grants by senior officials.
She said this had been exposed by an investigative report
produced by experts at Zacc. Information
at hand suggests the Lephalele directors who were present at the meeting raised
alarm with authorities, leading to investigations under CIO director-general
Isaac Moyo.
Attempts to get further information from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the prospective investors were
fruitless. Chitando had not responded to questions since last week.
The CIO director-general could also not be reached to give
an update on the matter, as his mobile phone went unanswered.
Prior to his appointment to head the President’s department
in 2017, Moyo was Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to neighboring South Africa where the
investors came from.
Officials at Zacc said they were unaware of such reports,
requesting further information. They were unable to give an official comment at
the time of going to print, but they indicated the Ministry of Mines was
considered, at the commission, to be among the corruption hotspots.
Corruption has been cited as among the country’s major
stumbling blocks to attracting investment. Zimbabwe Independent
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