GRACE MUGABE 'USED STATE-OWNED IVORY AS GIFTS FOR ASIAN FIRST LADIES': REPORT
HARARE - Zimbabwe's former first lady Grace Mugabe ordered national parks officials to release ivory to her from its storerooms to be given as gifts to first ladies in Asia, a newspaper claimed Wednesday.
Environment minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has commissioned an investigation into the alleged practice and the findings will be released soon.
Unnamed first ladies
"I was told that she (Grace Mugabe) would prevail upon (national parks) officials to release the ivory on the basis that they were the first lady's donations to unnamed fellow first ladies in the Far East," Muchinguri-Kashiri told the private Daily News.
"I then commissioned a full investigation into the matter which has since been concluded and as of now, their report is being compiled, which I will release on conclusion," she added.
Grace Mugabe was not contacted for comment on the claim.
Two years ago Zimparks, the state wildlife authority, was reported to have 70 tons of ivory worth millions of US dollars stored in Harare. The tusks are those seized from poachers or collected from animals that died from natural causes.
The environment minister said the government is also probing the mysterious death of a police officer who was investigating the attempted smuggling of 200kg of ivory to Malaysia through Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in December.
The minister said the unnamed officer had gone to Mozambique on personal business and died there. The owner of the smuggled ivory is still unknown.
Meanwhile State media in Zimbabwe on Sunday rounded on former president Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace, suggesting in one editorial that the military operation that removed Mugabe from power be extended to his Harare mansion.
"How about Operation Restore Legacy at Blue Roof Mansion?," said the headline on a column by Sunday Mail columnist, Bishop Lazarus. 'Greedy and insecure'
In it the writer suggested that Mugabe had been "taken hostage in this rebellious house" and put "in a tight corner with the greedy and insecure former First Lady".
The army denied its operation that put Emmerson Mnangagwa in power was a coup; instead officials said the move aimed at targeting target "criminals" around the president, a likely reference to Grace Mugabe and her allies.
'Make the former president understand what's going on'
In recent days Mugabe and his wife have been accused of backing a new political party led by former army officer and cabinet minister Ambrose Mutinhiri.
The Sunday Mail columnist said emissaries should be sent to Mugabe's "Blue Roof" mansion "to make the former president understand what is going on.
"I was told that she (Grace Mugabe) would prevail upon (national parks) officials to release the ivory on the basis that they were the first lady's donations to unnamed fellow first ladies in the Far East," “For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of paragraph 2 shall apply to all persons who are currently in occupation of the properties mentioned above without the authority and consent of the applicants as of the date of this order,” ruled the Judge President
These people should make the former first lady understand the trouble she is putting herself into. All this is likely to end very, very bad for her."
A cartoon in the same paper showed Mugabe staring out of a blank space with the word "mischief" written instead of a moustache.
No longer Comrade State newspapers now only refer to Mugabe as "Mr", stripping him of his decades-old title of Comrade
Earlier this week Grace Mugabe said she convinced her husband to stand down after last year’s military takeover when he was determined not to, it has emerged.
Grace Mugabe made the claim during a surprise press conference her husband gave at the couple’s Harare mansion this week.
'It was me who urged him to resign'
"Baba (father) did not want to put pen to paper, in fact it was me who urged him to resign for the sake of peace because Baba did not want to,” Grace Mugabe said, in comments carried by the private NewsDay.
Mugabe confirmed his wife's role in helping to persuade him. “Under the circumstances I didn’t want to step down because I felt it was not proper and I insisted that everything was done unconstitutionally,” the 94-yearold said.
‘Anarchy and bloodshed’ He said he was willing to face impeachment proceedings by MPs from his party and the main opposition but his wife had convinced him that “the process would take long and in between, the country could plunge into anarchy and bloodshed.”
Mugabe told reporters that last November’s takeover was a “military coup” – a phrase his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa has done everything to avoid.
Mnangagwa’s office has shrugged off the criticism, insisting on Friday that while Mugabe was free to express himself the country had “moved on”.
In another development Police superintendent Kennedy Fero, who was roped in by Mrs Grace Mugabe to grab three lowdensity houses from Lebanese businessman Mr Jamal Ahmed, has been ordered off the properties to pave way for the rightful owners. Judge President George Chiweshe ordered Supt Fero and other guards off No. 409 Harare Drive, Pomona; No. 18 Cam- bridge Road, Avondale; and No. 75 King George, Avondale, together with any other guards or people deployed there.
Supt Fero was heading the team of guards deployed to the properties after the illegal takeover.
On the strength of the court judgment, Mr Ahmed’s lawyers have since instructed the Sheriff of the High Court to evict Supt Fero and any other guards who are still at the properties.
Mrs Mugabe and her son from an earlier marriage, Mr Russell Goreraza, had since vacated the premises.
The properties were illegally grabbed without any court order after Mrs Mugabe, who was bitter about the $1,2 million she had lost in a diamond ring deal, abused her powers as First Lady and deployed armed cops to the houses.
The violent takeover of the properties threatened Mr Ahmed, resulting in him fleeing the country.
Since there was no evidence proving that Mrs Mugabe and her son were occupying the properties, Judge President Chiweshe issued an order against Supt Fero.
“The application succeeds as against the third respondent (Supt Fero).
“Consequently, the third respondent and all those claiming occupation of the applicant’s properties through him, namely No. 409 Harare Drive, Pomona; No. 18 Cambridge Road, Avondale; and No. 75 King George, Avondale, be and are hereby or- dered to forthwith vacate the said properties.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of paragraph 2 shall apply to all persons who are currently in occupation of the properties mentioned above without the authority and consent of the applicants as of the date of this order,” ruled the Judge President.
Justice Chiweshe ordered the Sheriff of the High Court to evict the occupants.
“The Sheriff of the High Court be and is hereby ordered to forthwith cause the eviction of the said occupants and to immediately restore possession of the occupied properties to the applicants,” he said.
In December 2016, High Court judge Justice Clement Phiri issued a default judgment against Mrs Mugabe and her son and ordered them off the properties together with the rest of the guards.
However, in June 2017, Judge President Chiweshe reversed Justice Phiri’s decision relying on High Court Rule 449 (1) (a).
The Judge President set aside the decision of a fellow judge after the police rushed to the First Family’s defence.
Police detectives told the court that Mrs Mugabe had nothing to do with the deployment of police guards and that the properties were being protected as exhibits in some ongoing criminal investigations against Mr Ahmed.
Meanwhile, Mrs Mugabe is suing Mr Ahmed for $1 230 000 over a diamond ring deal that went sour last year.
Mrs Mugabe claims she approached Mr Ahmed, who was in the business of diamond-cutting and polishing and ordered a 100-carat special ring worth $1 350 000 for her wedding anniversary, in April 2015.
She paid in advance through her CBZ Bank account.
However, in breach of the agreement, Mr Ahmed allegedly failed to deliver the ring, triggering a legal wrangle.
- News24/THE HERALD