Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi was remanded to prison on Tuesday after a Harare magistrate revoked his bail.
His corruption trial, which he had reportedly skipped for seven years, is now set to resume on July 1.
Mzembi faces charges of criminal abuse of office and theft of trust property. The allegations stem from the disposal of televisions worth US$2 million, which were originally purchased for the 2010 FIFA World Cup fan parks.
The televisions were allegedly donated to Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa’s mega-church in Chitungwiza by Mzembi while he served as Tourism Minister. His arrest followed the ouster of the late former President Robert Mugabe in a 2017 military coup.
The 61-year-old left Zimbabwe in 2018, with his lawyers claiming he sought medical attention for cancer in South Africa.
He did not return to the country until last week, when he was arrested on three outstanding warrants for repeatedly failing to appear for his trial.
Before Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei, Mzembi’s legal team, led by Killian Mandiki, argued that the former minister had been undergoing cancer treatment and had only returned after his health improved.
Mzembi himself told the court he had been in and out of hospital over the years, undergoing multiple operations, and was not in wilful default of his court appearances.
However, Magistrate Ndirowei dismissed Mzembi’s application to cancel his warrants of arrest, finding his explanation unconvincing.
Ndirowei stated there was a “gap as to what transpired in his medical report,” adding that the attached report would have been relevant in 2020, not 2025.
He further ruled that it had not been proven Mzembi was “bed-ridden” to an extent that he could not travel back to Zimbabwe to address his warrants.
The magistrate also pointed out that Mzembi had served as the campaign manager for presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere, who announced his campaign from South Africa in 2023 before being barred by a court. Said Ndirowei:
He was not sick to the extent that he wants the court to believe; however, he was Saviour Kasukuwere’s campaigner for the 2023 elections, and he was active on his social media.
The accused’s submissions fall far short and the warrants of arrests are hereby confirmed, bail revoked, he is hereby committed to prison pending trial.
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