Cops arrest Ex-Ministers Made, Machaya

FORMER Ministers Joseph Made and Jason Machaya have been arrested for abuse of office.

Dr Made, who is a former Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, is detained at Rhodesville Police Station in Harare.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba referred all questions to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

ZACC principal public relations officer Ms Phyllis Chikandura said she was not aware of the developments as she was on leave.

Sources close to the investigations confirmed the arrest of Dr Made while our Midlands Bureau reports that Mr Machaya, a former Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister, is suspected to have abused his office when he reportedly allocated land to private developers.

Mr Machaya’s lawyer, Mr Hillary Garikayi of Garikayi and Company law firm, yesterday said he was still to get details of the case.

“I have only heard that my client has been summoned to the police, but I am still to gather the details,” he said.

Sources said Mr Machaya was summoned to Gweru Central Police station and was later taken to Gokwe Police Station.

They said the charges stem from the manner in which he allegedly allocated land to private developers across the province. “Six private developers were also summoned to the police in connection with the case. They have been asked to avail their papers and explain how they got the land which they were developing,” said the source.

“He (Mr Machaya) was taken to Gokwe and the allegations levelled against him were handed over to police in Gokwe to start investigations,” said the source.

Our Harare Bureau saw a list of about 60 land cases in which Mr Machaya is being implicated.

Also implicated are senior Government officials in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in the Midlands Province.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made the fight against the scourge of corruption one of his top priorities if the country is to attract investors and achieve prosperity for the majority.