Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. BOBI Makaza (62), the man who once captured national attention by chanting “ED huchi!” while praising President Emmerson Mnangagwa after his release from behind the prison walls, has fallen on hard times again.
After famously walking out of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison where he was incarcerated for rape to a hero’s welcome, complete with US$2 000 and a Toyota Aqua courtesy of businessman Wicknell Chivayo, Makaza is now counting heavy losses.
His newly found fortune has vanished in the arms of a woman, and his prized Toyota Aqua has reportedly been spirited away in a brazen act of deception.
Makaza became the main man during Zanu PF’s campaign trail in the 2023 harmonised elections, which saw Mnangagwa winning against old time political foe, Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
The ex-convict would feature in almost each of the Zanu PF campaign rallies, enjoying VIP treatment, but alas, today, the once vibrant campaigner is now a shadow of himself.
He has visibly lost weight, maybe due to ageing or stress as he is now struggling to adapt to a low life.
“Thank you for contacting me, I really wanted this (media), to tell my story,” Makaza said after being engaged to shed light on how he lost his newly-found “fortune”.
But, according to villagers, the convicted rapist lost the US$2 000 windfall to a woman, who has since abandoned him.
“He cohabitated with a certain woman, who has since left him after realising that he has fallen on hard times,” a villager told NewsDay Weekender.
During his first appearance in public after his release, Zanu PF also rewarded Makaza with a house and a substantial amount of cash during a presidential rally in Mutawatawa, Mashonaland East province.
Makaza was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Murewa magistrate in 2019 after raping a 10-year-old girl a year earlier.
He, however, served less than five years of the sentence after he was released together with more than 4 200 other prisoners following a clemency order signed by Mnangagwa on May 19, 2023.
The released prisoners included, according to government, rapists and murderers who had turned 60 or older.
The amnesty, which was aimed at decongesting prisons and give offenders a second chance, was met with mixed reactions.
Soon after leaving prison, Makaza became a celebrity in the ruling party for coining Zanu PF’s 2023 election campaign slogan, “ED huchi”, which was extensively being used at its rallies, but has since faded.
Makaza, who is known in his home area as Mudhara Huchi, admitted that his new wife chowed into much of the money donated to him.
The 32-year-old woman, a cross-border trader who spent most of her time in Namibia, was handpicked by Makaza at an apostolic shrine in Uzumba.
“I gave her US$200 to travel from Namibia where she plies her trade mostly, though she is from this area,” he recalled.
“I then gave her US$600 to start a chicken project. To be honest she worked hard on that project, but we failed to secure a market for the chickens.
“She even went to sell the chickens at illegal gold panning sites, but it failed. She also tried to sell fish, but the business went down and didn’t yield anything.”
The woman relocated to Namibia after telling Makaza that Zimbabwe was not good and conducive for her money-spinning trades.
Makaza also used part of the money to pay dowry for his new wife.
Before incarceration, Makaza had married three times.
On the issue of the Toyota Aqua, Makaza admitted that he was defrauded by some youths who wanted to use the vehicle as a taxi.
“They came to me and said they wanted to use the vehicle as a taxi, where I would get US$120 per week,” he said.
“I gave in to the deal not knowing that it was a bad decision.
“The next time I saw the car, it was in a mess.
“The dream of building a house using proceeds from the vehicle were shattered.”
Makaza had to exchange the Toyota Aqua with an old Toyota Noah, which has since been grounded at his homestead.
He admitted that he wasted an opportunity to become rich in life and appealed to Chivayo to “smile at him” again since he had learnt his “lesson”.
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