Minister ‘plotted’ Kagonye’s arrest
COMPLAINANTS in a case where former Public Service minister Petronella Kagonye was being accused of converting US$18 000 meant for residential stands to her own use, have withdrawn the case saying they were forced to lie about her by her rival, National Housing minister Daniel Garwe.
Rogers Pote and Ngonidzashe Zvanezuro yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro where they confessed that they lied.
Kagonye was accused of converting US$18 000 belonging to Vaduku Housing Co-operative Society to her own use.
The pair alleged that Garwe and his wife Sharon Mugabe had forced them to report lies in a bid to discredit Kagonye during the Zanu PF primary elections.
“Garwe’s wife (Mugabe) had been a contestant against Kagonye in the Goromonzi West constituency on three consecutive times and Garwe was pushing his wife’s agenda. Garwe and Mugabe held several meetings to plan and plot against Kagonye and the evidence is in my phone,” Pote told the court.
Zvanezuro added: “I was arrested sometime in October 2020 at Goromionzi Police Station on allegations of assault. I slept in the cells for two days. Rodgers Pote, the chairperson of Vaduku Housing Co-operative, came and secured my release. Upon being released, Pote took me to a meeting at Jamaica Inn in Melfort. At the meeting, people present included Sharon Mugabe, Pote, Peter Mubare, Farai Ngondo, Ben Chivandire, Terence Tayengwa and Arthur Chidenhe.”
He said the meeting discussed Kagonye, plotting her arrest.
“At the meeting, I was ordered by Pote to file a criminal complaint against Kagonye on behalf of Vaduku Housing Co-operative at Ruwa Police Station.”
He said the RRB number for the report made was 1525227.
Allegations were that Vaduku Housing Co-operative Society gave US$18 500 to Kagonye for allocation of stands, which she failed to provide.
“No payment was ever made to Kagonye and no fraud was committed by her and the report that I made at Ruwa Police Station was false and unwarranted,” Zvanezuro submitted.
Allegations were that between February 2014 and June 2015 and at Solomio Farm in Goromonzi, Kagonye and Glorious Real Estate defrauded Vaduku Housing Co-operative represented by Zvanezuro Ngonidzashe.