Tsvangirai’s mansion scandal: new details emerge

This article was written by Our reporter on 1 February, at 00 : 52 AM

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Tsvangirai’s mansion scandal: new details emerge

New revelations continue to emerge concerning Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s alleged double dipping scandal, with the latest information exposing the illicit dealings behind the purchase of his million dollar Highlands mansion.

The latest details indicate that the house at the centre of controversy was allegedly paid for twice as the last owner, Justin Davenport, now based in South Africa, sold the house to the Prime Minister’s acquaintance in 2007 to the tune of US$800 000.

Further indications are that the house was allegedly already paid for by the Prime Minister’s financiers long before government was made to fork out an extra US$1.5 million.

A report by Dumisani Muleya and Faith Zaba in the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported that ‘there were two different sums of money released from Treasury and the central bank to buy the same state-owned property, located at No 49 Kew Drive in Highlands’.

The scandal also sucked in Tsvangirai’s relative, now Zimbabwean ambassador to Germany, Hebson Makuvise, who is said to have made successive withdrawals of the money and deposited it into different banks in the country.

The alleged extra payments by the Prime Minister’s allies — allegedly in South Africa and in the West — was for protection of their interests in the hope that he would become president of Zimbabwe.

Allegations are that the Prime Minister abused his political office by allegedly obtaining a further US$1 million from the treasury for the purpose of renovating the house, despite vowing that he would not move from his Milton Park house when he became prime minister.

Meanwhile, a complete dossier of the dirty dealings which has sucked in RBZ officials, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, and the Prime Minister is said to be nearing completion and waiting for legal action.

Biti in his 2010 national budget presented in November 2009 set aside US$1 million for the house. The money from Treasury was used to buy the property and for renovations. This was confirmed by officials at the Exchequer.

With renovations at the house almost complete, legal experts are of the opinion the net should now close in on any person alleged to have breached the law without fear or favour.

The MDC-T joined the inclusive Government promising accountability and transparency.

Then MDC-T spokesman, and now Information Communications Technology minister, Nelson Chamisa promised to publish a list of all assets owned by the MDC-T leadership back in 2008. That list is still to be compiled, three and half years into the inclusive Government.