Financial Gazette (Harare)
Clemence Manyukwe
24 October 2007
Harare — GOVERNMENT squandered $5 billion worth of taxpayers' money and gave away a farm in pursuit of fanciful claims about a miracle diesel discovery in Chinhoyi, court documents show.
Rotina Mavhunga, the n'anga at the centre of the embarrassing affair, convinced Cabinet she had discovered enough diesel to supply the whole country.
Court documents seen by The Financial Gazette this week show that between April 2006 and July 2007, the woman, also known as Nomatter Tagarira or Sekuru Dombo, squeezed large amounts of cash, food, and even a farm out of the government.
Mavhunga, and a group of gold panners still at large, are said to have come across a container of diesel at Muningwa Hills in Chinhoyi.
Mavhunga and her accomplices then convinced the Mashonaland West ZANU PF leadership that she had "pointed her sacred stick" at a rock, resulting in diesel gushing out.
The rock contained enough diesel to supply the whole country, she told gullible politicians.
"She caused pipes to be installed, which would move diesel from where it was discovered to the foot of the hill, which resulted in the diesel running out. After that, they would buy diesel from truck drivers and keep it in the pipe on the pretext that it was coming from a rock," the court heard.
"As a result of this misrepresentation by the accused, the whole country's interests and government interests at large resulted in the government of Zimbabwe committing human and material resources into the issue, which later turned out to be false."
The value of the resources committed to the project was over $5 billion, the court papers show.
"As a result of this misrepresentation, the accused unlawfully solicited and received food, money, services, a farmhouse and a farm from the government of Zimbabwe, knowing well that her claims were false."
The n'anga has been charged under the Criminal Law (Codification Reform) Act for fraud and, alternatively, for being a "criminal nuisance."
Believing her extravagant claims, the ZANU PF politburo had sent in a top-level ministerial team, comprising National Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, Minister of Defence, Sydney Sekeramayi, and Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, to investigate the diesel discovery.
A taskforce was later appointed, made up of Energy and Power Development Minister Mike Nyambuya, Science and Technology Minister Olivia Muchena and Mines and Mining Development Minister Amos Midzi.
Mavhunga was arrested early this month after being on the run for a week. Police claim that a top government official had been hiding her at his home. They refuse to name the culprit.
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