Zimbabwe: Mugabe Prepares for Hiding?

Photo: Al Jazeera English
President Robert Mugabe.

A close associate of President Robert Mugabe, Robert Mhlanga, has been ordered to stop work on his R200 million mansion next to the plush Zimbali golfing estate near Ballito.

According to a South African newspaper, Saturday Star, Mhlanga was building a luxury mansion with an underground bunker in Ballito, KwaZulu Natal and was recently ordered to stop work on the property.

Mhlanga is Mugabe's former personal helicopter pilot and is mentioned in two Global Witness 2010 and 2012 reports on diamonds in Zimbabwe.

Rumoured to be a bolthole for Mugabe, court papers have revealed the R200 million compound is being built by Mhlanga, through his company Formate (Pty) Ltd.

KwaDukuza Municipality obtained a high court order to stop construction and occupation of the mansion, next to the plush Zimbali estate, because of the potential impact on neighbouring properties and the environment.

The interim order was granted on May 16 in the Durban High Court.

But Mugabe's spokesperson, George Charamba, yesterday dismissed the article.

"There is no substance to that. The only relationship between them (Mugabe and Mhlanga) is the name Robert and that they are Zimbabweans," he said.

The heavily guarded development comprises two man-made lakes, a renovated existing mansion, complete with bullet proof windows and an underground bunker.

Municipal building control officer, Njabulo Ngwane, said when the municipality became aware of the development in April, he had gone to inspect the site.

"The properties were fenced and guarded but we were denied access."

Mhlanga was a prosecution witness in the 2003 treason trial of Morgan Tsvangarai and is reported to have been chief of staff operations at the National Command Centre, which controlled the announcement of voting results in the disputed 2002 presidential election, according to Global Witness.

Efforts to get a comment from Mhlanga were fruitless yesterday.

  • Comment (55)

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Comments Post a comment

  • jeffjedi06
    Jun 17 2012, 22:42

    There will be no hiding for Mugabe he is going to hell. Maybe the palace is for his b!tch wife graceless for when he is gone. Whatever when we conduct the state audit we will track down all the assets and repatriate the stolen wealth back to Zimbabwe. Mugabe is therefore put on notice that we will claim all he has stolen back,

  • Chinyemba_Gza
    Jun 18 2012, 05:22

    Oh Jeffjedi, just shut up. You know for sure that His Highness The Great King Robert Gabriel Mugabe is not a thief. There's no money stashed anywhere and he's never going to leave Zimbabwe. You and your white masters will trace NOTHING because you both KNOW there is NOTHING! Jackasses.

  • kjrs120
    Jun 19 2012, 02:28

    Chinyemba, shut YOUR ass. "There is no money stashed anywhere," said like a jackass that you are. So what has the international community frozen as part of Mugabe's sanctions? His farts?

  • takunya_ndebvu
    Jun 19 2012, 05:40

    Kjrs120;

    It is you who should "shut your ass" and not Cde Chinyemba because he is the one telling the truth. You are only here to spread propaganda, misinformation and disinformation but at the end of the day you are unable to provide any proof of what you are talking about.

    Can you tell me what assets, account(s) or property, belonging to President Mugabe, has been frozen? If the CIA, the most SOPHISTICATED ORGANISATION in the world, could not find anything after being challenged by President Mugabe to look for same and if they find anything, take it and give it to a charity organisation of their choice, what about you?

    You are just a foolish fool!! From the year 2000, when the CIA and MI6 became serious about and openly wanted to discredit my President, they still have not managed to find anything to show for their efforts and pin it to or on President Mugabe.

    What they call "frozen assets and accounts" belong to INNOCENT Zimbabweans who studied and worked in imperialist countries. The few dollars and pounds they saved with a view to investing back here in Zimbabwe are what have been frozen. Some of these people have no connection whatsoever to President Mugabe.

    For example, Prof. Author Mutambara studied in America for his PhD and worked for NASSA for about 15 years. We all agree that he was making a considerable amount of money for himself but when he refused to tow the imperialist line, Mutambara was threatened with withdrawal of the American so-called 'Green Card' and a freeze of his assets in that country. He had to make an impromptu journey to America to beg the regime there not to freeze his money as he has occasionally said bad "things about Mugabe" as proof of his towing the imperialist line.

    Suppose it was someone else who clearly refused to be intimidated and/or manipulated, it means the assets and accounts were going to be frozen and these are the moneys you say belong to President Mugabe.

    Our late hero, Cde Zvobgo worked in America for a very long time and when he left to join the liberation struggle, his investments remained in that country. When later he wanted these funds legally transferred to Zimbabwe after independence, the regime in that country refused. Does this money have anything to do with President Mugabe?

    President Mugabe has challenged you many times to investigate him and if you find anything you can link to him, take it and give it to charity. Nobody has come up with any proof that President Mugabe "stashed money" outside Zimbabwe.

    Many wild allegations, that border on foolishness, have been thrown around by people like you but all this came to nothing. Besides this latest allegation, you have said that he bought a villa in Scotland (the owners disputed it); a mansion in some unknown Island but nothing concrete came out; a flat in Hong Kong (that was being used by his daughter while attending college) but all this also came to nothing as the owners provided concrete proof that the Mugabes were only renting the property.

    Robert Mhlanga, because he was once a helicopter pilot for His Excellence then he has to be building a house for or on behalf of President Mugabe. What foolishness is that? Why can't Mhlanga built a house (of his choice and design) for himself - it has to be for President Mugabe.

    Today, Takunya_Ndebvu is building a big mansion at his farm, with an underground car park, a helipad, a tennis court, a football ground, an airstrip and other facilities; it means he is building for President Mugabe. If I decide to invest my money in a neighbouring country, then it means the money is not mine but President Mugabe's.

    So, Takunya has no brains and hands to work for himself but has to depend on President Mugabe for his successes otherwise he should remain a pauper. Anybody who becomes successful in Zimbabwe (unless he denounces President Mugabe like what Mutumwa Mawere did) then he must be getting money from President Mugabe. What weird thinking??

    I know Zimbabweans to be cleverer PEOPLE who will not believe this trash. They know that their President is honest, selfless, upright, dedicated to their welfare, is disciplined, incorruptible and above all he is faithful to them and want to see the success of EVERY ZIMBABWEAN.

  • takunya_ndebvu
    Jun 19 2012, 07:21

    Jeffjedi06;

    As clearly explained by Cde Chinyemba_Gza, President Mugabe is “never going to leave Zimbabwe”; he was born in Zimbabwe; grew up in Zimbabwe and shall die in ZIMBABWE. This is his home and has no other home outside of this State called Zimbabwe.

    You can say what you want and can draw up as many lists as you want with President Mugabe at the top but that will not make him leave his country; a country that he fought for; being incarcerated for 11 years (the incarceration was accompanied by severe and barbaric torture) and later staying in the dangerous bushes of Mozambique for 5 years.

    I foresee you having eggs on your face when what you are promising the world does not come true. Do you really think that the CIA and MI6 do not want to discredit President Mugabe after he successfully took back the land of MADZIMBAHWE from invader Boers?

    NO; they want to destroy him as of yesterday but have thoroughly failed to produce any evidence to back accusation from people like you because there is nothing to pin on or to President Mugabe.

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InFocus

South Africa: Court Halts Construction of Mugabe Mansion

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A court has ordered that the construction of a R200 million mansion for Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, in South Africa be halted. Read more »