FORMER Public Service minister Petronella Kagonye yesterday appeared in court denying criminal abuse of office charges being levelled against her.
In her defence, she said the allegations were orchestrated
by political rivals.
Kagonye is accused of stealing computers donated to her
ministry by the Post and telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe
(Potraz).
In her testimony before Harare magistrate Vongai
Muchuchuti-Guwuriro, Kagonye said in 2018, she received 10 computers from
Potraz to hand out to the poor in her constituency.
This was after she had on June 19, 2018, met former
Information Communication Technology minister Supa Mandiwanzira in Cabinet and
asked him to donate computers to her constituency.
Mandiwanzira then informed her that he had laptops, rice,
blankets and cooking oil for her constituency, which were received by her
brother Evans Kagonye, who then handed them to her secretary, one Catherine.
“When the computers were taken to the campaign team, I was
not there as I had travelled to America, United Kingdom and France from May 28
to July 26, 2018.”
She said later people told her that they wanted to get her
arrested for corruption and a docket was opened at the Special Anti-Corruption
Unit.
“There was David Chivandire, who lied that he was from the
President’s Office and he asked Potraz to get me arrested. They created 16
charges, but they were left with six which l signed for.”
She said some of the alleged charges were signed for by non-existent
persons.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Zivanai Macharaga,
Kagonye said she did not record serial numbers for the laptops, which she
donated to her constituency since she was not physically present. The matter
was postponed to Friday for continuation of trial. Newsday
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