Zim Journalist Summoned Over Chombo/Chiyangwa Land Stories
30/03/2010 06:55:00
Harare, March 30, 2010 – Zimbabwean police have summoned a senior freelance journalist Stanley Gama over a story published Sunday exposing massive irregularities and corruption in the acquisition of land by Local Government and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo and Phillip Chiyangwa, President Robert Mugabe’s nephew.
Gama wrote a story headlined Borrowdale land grab basing his article on a report compiled by the Harare City Council’s special investigations committee which unmasked Chombo and flamboyant tycoon Chiyangwa as among senior people who had irregularly acquired land from the municipality.
The special investigations committee’s report on Harare’s land sales, leases and exchanges, covering the period October 2004 to December 2009, named Chombo and Chiyangwa as some of the beneficiaries of land allegedly acquired corruptly from the Harare City Council.
Chombo and Chiyangwa are among those wealthy Zimbabweans whose sources of wealth are the subject of suspicion and controversy.
Gama was summoned by notorious Chief Superintendent Chrsipen Makedenge and Detective Inspector Muchada who told him over his mobile phone that they would want to question him about “something” which they couldn’t divulge over the phone.
Gama is expected to report to Harare Central Police Station in the company of prominent media and human rights lawyer Selby Hwacha.
In January Makedenge hounded senior freelance journalist, Stanley Kwenda after he allegedly issued death threats on him for exposing his abusive relationship with his now deceased wife. Kwenda has since fled the country.