from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – THE arrest of a former cabinet minister exiled after then president Robert Mugabe was toppled in 2017 underlines a commitment by the government to the rule of law.
Or, it is a continued crackdown and retribution by the current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, against party politicians aligned to Mugabe (now late), or a new faction, as the former maintains a stranglehold on power.
These scenarios depend on which faction of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) one aligns with.
Exiled since 2018, Walter Mzembi, a minister in such portfolios as foreign affair as well as tourism and hospitality, was arrested last Friday upon return to his home country, where it seemed he would re-launch his political career and mend differences with the ZANU-PF and Mnangagwa.
Operatives of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) arrested him.
His arrest has brought to the fore the differences tearing the party apart after a military coup ousted Mugabe from his position of head of state and expelled him and a faction aligned to him from the ex-liberation movement.
The coup paved the way for Mnangagwa to gain power and while he ascended to the position on a pledge to unite the party, it remained divided.
Mzembi (61)was among party bigwigs that fled the country after the 2017 coup that the military said was to thwart “criminals” aligned to the aged president (he was 95 at that time).
Mzembi had been exiled in neighbouring South Africa, where he was a vocal critic of the Mnangagwa administration. He was also a key figure in a failed bid by fellow exiled ex-minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, to challenge Mnangagwa in the 2023 presidential elections.
Kasukuwere is also in South Africa.
Initially, Mzembi was arrested in 2018 in Zimbabwe on charges of criminal abuse of office and corruption and was granted bail.
It emerged in 2020 that Mzembi fled to South Africa before his criminal trial could be completed. Other reports suggest he had relocated to Zambia.
This week, he appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court, where his bail was revoked and his trial is to continue on July 1.
Mzembi’s lawyers argue he was undergoing cancer treatment but it remains unclear if Zimbabwean authorities had been informed through official channels.
The African Forum For Cultural Diplomacy (AFFCD), which Mzembi heads, said he was in Zimbabwe on a “cultural diplomacy mission.”
AFFCD believes the arrest and denial of bail might impact Zimbabwe’s diplomatic relations and the perception of the country’s commitment to cultural exchange.
“It is our view that the warrant of arrest could have been dealt with in a more humane and diplomatic way than having to incarcerate and humiliate Dr. Mzembi,” Pardon Tapfumaneyi said on behalf of the organisation.
Human rights advocate, Brighton Mutebuka, said, “What has happened to Mzembi is tragic, unfortunate and a sobering reminder that Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a harsh, iron fisted, brutal, cruel and uncompromising dictatorship.”
Unconfirmed rumours suggest the arrest is a ploy to torture the former minister and torture him to reveal the whereabouts of a liberation war veteran, Blessed Geza, who is among the fiercest critics of Mnangagwa.
It is rumoured state security agents masterminded tricked Mzembi into a meeting with Mnangagwa, who reportedly had earlier declined the exiled minister.
Government sources believe exiled ministers are aware of the whereabouts of Geza, who has been declared wanted.
Geza reportedly is a central figure in a faction that supports Mnangagwa’s deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, to assume leadership of the party as Mnangagwa’s term nears its end in 2028.
A faction aligned to Mnangagwa are pushing for their favourite to extend his stay until at least 2030.
Chiwenga was during Mugabe’s order the chief of the defence forces that masterminded Mugabe’s ouster and paved the way for Mnangagwa, who was briefly in exile, to take over.
While the president and his deputy have painted a rosy picture of unity, it is believed they are in a power struggle for control of ZANU-PF and the country.
The Zimbabwe Institute for Accountability showed no sympathy for Mzembi.
“He is part of the reason why we are such a mess as a country. They created this repressive, dangerous and predatory monster called ZANU-PF in its present state,” it stated.
ZANU-PF has governed since independence in 1980.
– CAJ News