Source: No immunity for Grace: ED – DailyNews Live
Andrew Kunambura and Bridget Mananavire 25 January 2018
HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said former first lady Grace
Mugabe will not be spared from the corruption dragnet and will stand trial
if she is found on the wrong side of the law.
He said this in a globally-televised interview at the on-going World
Economic Forum (Wef) in Davos yesterday.
Since assuming office on November 24 last year, Mnangagwa has been on an
anti-corruption crusade which has been criticised as faction-driven and
targeting only members
of the Grace-led Generation 40 faction in Zanu PF.
“We have not given anybody any immunity, what we have promised to the
former president (Robert Mugabe) is that we have given him a package. It’s
a question of him continuing to get his salaries, security, first class
travel and medical check-ups in Singapore; things of that nature,” said
Mnangagwa in response to a question if Grace was safe from the on-going
corruption arrests.
Mugabe, who has been granted immunity from prosecution and a guarantee
that no action will be taken against his family’s extensive business
interests, has received a “cash payment of $5m” immediately, with the $5m
ballance to be pain in coming months..
The 93-year-old’s $150 000 salary will also be paid until his death. The
52-year-old first lady, reviled for her extravagance and greed, will then
receive half that amount for the rest of her life.
“We are not saying that if anybody commits a crime, then their former
status will stop the police from dealing with that person. My approach is
zero tolerance to
corruption and there are no sacred cows in dealing with that.
“So far, many high profile persons have been to the courts, we have
already brought so many people to court, the list is endless despite the
fact that we are hardly two months in office,” he said.
Mnangagwa also said there was no going back on the directive issued to
people who externalised funds to return the cash by end of February.
“We are saying all the people, please return the money. There are others
who took it and invested in properties in other countries, for those we
will talk. But I have the list of them all,” he said.
He also said he welcomed criticism and said people are free to judge him.
He was responding to a question on what did he thought was the right time
for people to start judging him.
“I am saying judge me from day one. I must not be given any sleeping
period. I am not an angel. I make mistakes and I would like to be told of
those mistakes,”
Mnangagwa said. He also said he was keen to meet with British Prime
Minister Theresa May to discuss bilateral relations with the erstwhile
colonisers.
He said jokingly: “I would like to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May. I
believe she will be good to us. Margaret Thatcher (the late former British
prime minister) was good to us. All the male prime ministers have not been
good to us.”
Mnangagwa will leave Davos tomorrow and head straight to Addis Ababa for
the African Union heads of State summit.
Mnangagwa has predictably received a warm welcome at the Wef gathering.
The European Union (EU) became the latest multilateral institution to
pledge support for the new dispensation in Harare.
NKC African Economics analyst Gary van Staden said like his neighbours in
South Africa, “he should be aware that foreign donors are watching for
delivery and walking the talk.”
The sudden and rapid developments in Zimbabwe late last year, which saw
the military essentially remove former President Robert Mugabe and
subsequently elevate Mnangagwa to the top post, have ushered in a new
opportunity for the country to achieve its economic potential as a
powerhouse in the region.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa says Zanu PF will accept defeat should they lose
elections later this year.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “If we lose elections, that’s it.”
Mnangagwa – who become president last year after Mugabe was ousted –
reiterated his pledge for “free, fair and transparent elections”.
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