VICE-PRESIDENT Phelekezela Mphoko is reportedly shopping for an official house and his wife, Laurinda, has so far rejected three houses, among them a mansion in Harare’s affluent suburb of Ballantyne Park worth $3 million, claiming that it was small.
EVERSON MUSHAVA CHIEF REPORTER
Mphoko was appointed vice-president of Zimbabwe by President Robert Mugabe in December 2014 alongside long-time faction leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Impeccable sources revealed that Mphoko was initially scheduled to move into a house left by late Vice-President Joseph Msika in Harare’s leafy suburb of Mandara, but Laurinda refused, saying they wanted a house of their own, not the one vacated by others.
She started shopping for another house and last week went to view houses in Glen Lorne, Borrowdale Brooke and Ballantyne Park, refusing to take any of them for varying reasons.
“She rejected one in Glen Lorne that was going for $1,5 million saying it was small,” the source revealed.
“Before she rejected the $3 million house in Ballantyne Park, she had rejected another in Borrowdale Brooke worth $2 million, claiming many government ministers lived in the place.”
Ironically, Mugabe’s blue-roofed house is in the same neighbourhood.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Efforts to get a comment from Mphoko yesterday were fruitless, as he could not be reached on his mobile phone.
Presidential press secretary Regis Chikowore said he was out of the country and referred our sister paper NewsDay to Ivanhoe Gurira, the director for international communication services in the Information ministry, who was not picking calls.
Mphoko, who is National Healing minister, hails from Matabeleland and reportedly does not have a house in Harare.
Before his appointment to the post of VP, he was reportedly staying at Meikles Hotel on his frequent visits to meet Mugabe.
Very close sources said Mphoko’s wife Laurinda was still moving around shopping for a lavish and spacious mansion of her choice after snubbing the $3 million home to be financed by the cash-strapped government.
The government is struggling to pay civil servants’ salaries due to dwindling revenue collections.
