Kasukuwere dishonest

via Kasukuwere dishonest — Analysts – DailyNews Live by Helen Kadirire  6 APRIL 2014

Savior Kasukuwere’s production of forged documents to justify claims that companies mining gems in Chiadzwa each pledged $10 million towards the controversial Marange-Zimunya community share ownership schemes expose the minister’s dishonesty, analysts say.

While Kasukuwere, now Environment, Water and Climate minister, produced documentary “evidence” in an effort to debunk claims by diamond mining firms that they pledged and agreed with government to contribute $1,5 million each not the $10 million hawked by the minister, his successor Francis Nhema told Parliament on Thursday that the letters produced by his predecessor  purportedly written to the mining firms were fake.

“I have checked with all the files at the ministry it seems I cannot locate them,” Nhema told Parliament’s committee on Youth and Indigenisation.

“I have even asked officials whether the letters are there. The problem is that there is no reference, no date stamp to authenticate the letters. I have checked with many files I don’t know if they are there.”

“I can’t say that there are not authentic but I have not seen any of the said letters. I tried to ask the (ministry) officials but no one knows about them.”

Economist Christopher Mugaga said the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (Nieeb) that handled the transactions had always been suspicious due to its shoddy staff complement and under the table dealings.

Mugaga said the dishonesty was now coming back to haunt Kasukuwere.

“All those at Nieeb never thought one day they would wake up without Kasukuwere as their boss in the short term which means irregularities in handling indigenisation deals became an institutionalised phenomenon,”Mugaga said.

“Nieeb was very suspicious in all its dealings, with thuggery defining their modus operandi. The body was staffed with incompetent individuals whose credentials were purely premised on sloganeering.”

Mugaga said some corrupt individuals may have possibly eroded the balances of the purported amounts, adding there was a good chance that all those involved in Community Share Ownership Trust (CSOT) were greased.

Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said the viability of CSOT was questionable considering the furore that is going on currently.

Mandaza said the controversy between Kasukuwere and the purportedly fraudulent letters he produced was “causing confusion.”

“All that is going on is very confusing,” Mandaza said. “One minute the companies are on television pledging to contribute monies then they backtrack claiming otherwise.

“I think it is unfair to brandish Kasukuwere on this issue considering that all this happened in public and also with the President Robert Mugabe present to witness.”