Indigenization Minister Kasukuwere owns nine farms
By Lance Guma
07 June 2011
Every Tuesday SW Radio Africa investigates unsolved and deliberately ignored cases of political violence, torture, murder and other forms of abuse, by people in positions of authority. The series is receiving tremendous public support and information and the coming weeks are set for some explosive exposures.
Last week we looked at the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere and how he has led and sponsored terror gangs in Mashonaland Central. This week we publish stunning details of how the same Minister owns nine farms, despite claims by Mugabe’s regime that they seized white owned land to give to landless blacks.
Confidential documents sent to SW Radio Africa show that 40 year old Kasukuwere owns part of Pimento Farm in Mashonaland Central, South Bamboo Creek in Shamva, Cornucopia Farm Orchard, 500 hectares of Harmony Farm in Mazowe, Bretton Farm, Allan Grange Farm, Auchenburg Farm, Bamboo Creek Farm and Bourne Farm.
Pimento was seized from white farmer Oliver Newton, South Bamboo Creek from farmers N Richardson and R. Morkel, while Kasukuwere reportedly seized the Cornucopia Farm Orchard from Interfresh in 2006. His brother Donald Kasukuwere also helped himself to two farms, Usaka in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central and Sangokwe North in Mwenezi.
In addition to the farms Kasukuwere is also involved in oil procurement and distribution. He owns ComOil (Pvt) Ltd, an oil procurement company, United Touring Company (UTC) which has been so run down it is in serious financial difficulties, a substantial shareholding in Genesis Bank, plus Interfresh (Pvt) Ltd. In 2009 he was accused of trying to block fresh investment in the energy sector to force companies like BP and Shell to sell their assets to his oil company, ComOil.
Even in government Kasukuwere has run his Ministry like a mafia organization. He illegally smuggled more than 11,000 youth militia onto the civil service payroll and deployed them countrywide, to intimidate opposition activists. In a single day, on the 26th May 2008, his ministry alone hired 6,861 youth militias. This was just a few weeks away from the bloody one man presidential run-off in June 2008.
Up to now the status of those youth militias, draining the civil service wage bill, remains a source of much acrimony and debate in cabinet. This is despite an audit showing that there are 75,000 ghost workers, gobbling up US$20 million every month. The audit also shows that there are 17,088 civil servants with unclear positions and the smart money is on Kasukuwere’s Ministry harbouring most of these people.
Residents who stay in his Mt Darwin constituency say he regularly describes himself as an ex-CIO agent, to ensure that they fear him. What he does not tell them is that he was actually fired from the CIO over several corruption allegations. Most of Kasukuwere’s victims have also testified to his violent nature, saying he is an active participant in most acts of torture and beatings meted out to perceived MDC-T supporters.
A number of reports credit Kasukuwere with setting up ZANU PF torture bases in Mashonaland Central in the run up to the 2000 parliamentary elections. He initially funded 28 youth militias who lived in a building owned by his campaign manager Terry Marodza. Showing how the violent streak runs in the family was the fact that the gang was also partly sponsored by his sister, Sarah Kasukuwere.
As Indigenisation Minister, Kasukuwere is leading ZANU PF’s so-called empowerment drive, but the evidence suggests this crusade is another looting mechanism for ZANU PF, where the already wealthy (from various corrupt activities) seize assets and companies that other people have built up over the years.
Lance spoke to Elliot Pfebve a parliamentary candidate for the MDC in 2000. He explains how Kasukuwere using a crow bar smashed the windscreen of his car and also hit his driver in the face, removing his eye.