By Leopold Munhende
ZANU PF’s militant youths Monday vowed to block party secretary for administration Obert Mpofu from accessing his office at the party headquarters accusing the former cabinet minister and MP of being part of a thick network of corrupt individuals linked to the ruling party.
Mpofu, together with ministers Jorum Gumbo and Prisca Mupfumira, were Monday fingered by the Zanu PF youth league as some of the most corrupt individuals in the country.
The list announced by party Youth League deputy secretary Lewis Matutu includes controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo and central bank governor John Mangudya.
Neville, son to Christopher Mutsvangwa, former Zimbabwean ambassador to China and top ally to the President, was also fingered in money laundering rings.
Firebrand youth league political commissar Godfrey Tsenengamu went on to order all Zanu PF officials implicated in their list not to report for duty until they cleared their names of any wrongdoing.
“For those holding positions in the party, we are asking them not to report for duty starting tomorrow (Tuesday), they must not come because if they are going to come and force us to act in another way.
“So we are saying to our respectable leaders, please do the honourable thing, stay at home till that time when you clear your name but as far as we are concerned, tomorrow (Tuesday) we are locking all offices where these comrades have been working from,” said Tsenengamu.
“We started by targeting our own, we are coming for those who are not part of Zanu PF.”
About US$200 000 was allegedly seized recently from one of Neville Mutsvangwa’s premises where he is alleged to operate his money laundering syndicate from.
Four police officers were arrested after the raid when they were accused of under-declaring the money they had seized.
Mutsvangwa was appointed to the Ariston Holdings board in April 2018 when his father was still a Presidential Advisor.
Unifreight Group Finance Executive Lisbon Mhonda is also being accused of using his company’s resources to smuggle large sums of US dollars out of the country.
Matutu refused to give more details but claimed to have enough evidence to submit to the police and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) if need be.
He also sent a veiled threat to ZRP Officer Commanding Harare Province, Charles Nhete if he did not act on those within the private sector they had indicated to be corrupt.
“If the police have heard what we have said, especially the Propol (Officer Commanding Province), then they should start work, we have heard that they catch criminals but under-declare monies they would have seized or get bribed.
“We will give them a chance, hopefully they will act,” said Matutu before rubbishing a question on why fuel tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei who has been accused of monopolising the market is absent from the least.
Zimbabwe is reportedly losing close to USD4 billion per year due to corruption.
