Mugabe meat scandal

Politics
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s birthday bash has been rocked by a fresh scandal with a businessman who donated elephant meat claiming the meat from the jumbo was stolen, while he has described Transport minister Obert Mpofu as a national security risk.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s birthday bash has been rocked by a fresh scandal with a businessman who donated elephant meat claiming the meat from the jumbo was stolen, while he has described Transport minister Obert Mpofu as a national security risk.

NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER

Wildlife conservancy owner Tendai Musasa claimed Mpofu was jealous that he had made a grand donation to the president’s bash and went out of his way to tarnish his image.

“My crime this time is donating big to the president’s party and probably hogging a lot of limelight from its rightful owners,” he said.

“The minister further stated publicly I had embezzled $130 000 and was trying to appease the president to cover for my theft.”

So emotive is the issue of the elephant meat at Mugabe’s do that Musasa claimed he was summoned by the provincial Joint Operations Command to discuss the matter, although he claimed he did not attend.

In a lengthy statement, Musasa claims security personnel and State security agents visited his farm at 10pm so he could answer to the origins of the elephant meat.

The businessman claimed it was agreed at a provincial meeting that the elephant meat donation be rejected and that he was now considered a persona non grata in Matabeleland North province.

Musasa claimed he was shocked by statements that elephant meat be rejected considering that the Zanu PF youth league, organisers of the 21st February Movement, had written to him expressing their gratitude for the 950kg deboned meat.

Wildlife conservancy owner Tendai Musasa claimed Mpofu was jealous that he had made a grand donation to the president’s bash and went out of his way to tarnish his image.
Wildlife conservancy owner Tendai Musasa claimed Mpofu was jealous that he had made a grand donation to the president’s bash and went out of his way to tarnish his image.

He said after a provincial meeting, he was called by a senior police officer who recorded the telephone conversation and threatened him with arrest.

“The 15,02-minute audio recording was later to be used to threaten me to withdraw my pledge, together with other numerous threats of arrest presenting the abuse of office and corruption involved,” the businessman said.

Musasa said he had reported the senior police officer to commissioner-general of the police, Augustine Chihuri.

The statement reveals that relations between Musasa and Mpofu have been sour for a while, as the businessman alleged there were attempts to get him kicked out of the conservancy and he listed a number of people whom he claimed were doing the minister’s bidding.

The police are said to be investigating the “poaching and theft of an elephant with connivance of National Parks officials in order to donate to the President 21st Movement (sic)”.

According to the statement, a person (name withheld), in reporting the case, said the community had already donated grain, “the meat part was extravagance”.

“This is nothing more than window dressing straight forward theft of meat controversy dogging that catering committee (sic),” the statement continued.

“I just don’t know who will be investigating who now, since the (senior police officer) is implicated in this grand meat theft of the elephant carcass.”

This is the latest twist to the controversy over elephant meat, as last week organisers of Mugabe’s bash, at a post mortem meeting, said the elephant was shot after Musasa claimed it was problematic and a danger to people, after which he took the whole beast, which should have been given to villagers to share, and donated it to the 21st February Movement.

Musasa had said he was donating two elephants, two buffalo and a lion trophy, all worth $120 000, towards the celebrations. Repeated efforts to get a comment from Mpofu and Chihuri were fruitless.