Minister returns looted Kondozi pumps

Minister returns looted Kondozi pumps

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By Lebo Nkatazo

TRANSPORT Minister Christopher Mushohwe has returned irrigation equipment he looted from Kondozi as the government launches a probe into the stripping of assets from the once striving horticultural farm.

At a meeting on Tuesday with a government committee tasked with assessing the winter crop in Manicaland province as well as the utilisation of institutional land under Operation Maguta and headed by Industry and Trade Minister Obert Mpofu, Colonel Ronnie Mutizhe said: “Minister Mushowe returned the irrigation pumps on Saturday. It does not make much difference because we can’t use them as he is still using Kondozi water. He is now using his own pumps and ours are lying idle”.

Sources said Mpofu’s committee would come up with a report next Monday on some of its findings in Manicaland.

During a recent tour of Kondozi by Vice President Joice Mujuru, Colonel Mutizhe told her that Kondozi was faced with collapse due to looting of equipment by up to five government ministers.

The AG has since instructed the police to prepare dockets on the fingered ministers: Mushowe, State Security Minister Didmus Mutasa, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made, Energy Minister Mike Nyambuya, Manicaland governor Tinaye Chigudu and Water Development Minister Munacho Mutezo.

Kondozi was seized from Edwin Moyo and the De Klerk family in 2004 and handed to the Agricultural and Rural Development Authourity (Arda), although it's currently being run by soldiers under Operation Maguta.

Kondozi, a once-thriving horticultural concern in Manicaland, now lies in ruins after most of the equipment was removed, paralysing operations.

The looted equipment includes 48 tractors, four Scania trucks, five UD trucks, several T35 trucks and 26 motorbikes. Several tonnes of fertilisers and chemicals were also lost.

The High Court in May 2004 granted Barclays an order to repossess all movable farming equipment at Kondozi Estate. This week Mutare North MP, Giles Mutsekwa told parliament he was ready to provide the names of those involved in the looting to an investigating team.

Movable assets listed in the court order included an ERF 30-tonne truck, two-tonne forklifts, 30 motorised knapsacks, 10 Jialings, 15 Same tractors, six Nissan Diesel UD 90 chassis & cab trucks, three Nissan Cabstar 4-tonne trucks, two Nissan 2,7 S/cab trucks and two Nissan 2,7 Hardbody D/cabs.

Barclays-Fincor, together with Zimbank-Syfrets and the African Banking Corporation were the chief sponsors of Kondozi which had established lucrative export markets in South Africa and Europe.

Even equipped with a High Court order, Barclays failed to repossess the equipment.

Government wants the looted equipment surrendered to kick-start its fresh initiative to resuscitate the estate.

The state has assigned the horticultural concern to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) amid speculation that the former owners had spurned the state’s poisoned chalice.

Information to hand shows that the revival of Kondozi Estate has been placed as one of the priority areas for government under its National Economic Development Priority Programme (NEDPP).

“The Industrial Development Corporation has been granted authority to implement the revival of Kondozi Estate,” reads the NEDPP implementation matrix.

“The foreign exchange mobilisation and utilisation taskforce will monitor the revival programme.”

Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono chairs the taskforce.

Highly placed sources said government opted to cede Kondozi to the IDC after former owners set stringent conditions before they could be tempted to return.

“A delegation from the President’s Office met former owners and majority shareholder, Edwin Moyo, last month. Moyo demanded the return of looted equipment and a written undertaking ensuring non-interference with operations, before they could take up the offer,” sources said. “Government was proposing that Moyo would team up with other indigenous horticultural players to rehabilitate the project.”

The government wanted to use Moyo’s business contacts in the export markets to rekindle relations that are pivotal to the sustained survival of Kondozi.

Sources said some government quarters, particularly those who benefited from the looted equipment, opposed Moyo’s return, forcing government to consider other options.

They said Moyo had cast doubts on his willingness to return to Kondozi saying it would be a costly exercise, which would require at least three years before realising any returns.

“For a project of that magnitude to be viable, the involved markets would have to physically audit the place before a certificate can be granted,” a source said.

Moyo referred all questions to government, saying: “Kondozi is now state land.” - Additional reporting Zimbabwe Independent
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