Mliswa not off the hook: Police

via Mliswa not off the hook: Police | The Herald June 29, 2015

Police yesterday said investigations on former Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman Temba Mliswa for possessing suspected stolen farming equipment at one of his warehouses in Harare, were still continuing.

Police sources said Mliswa would soon be questioned once investigations have been completed.

“The equipment is still under police guard as investigations on the case continue. He will be questioned soon,” said a police source.

It is believed that the equipment was part of equipment that was distributed under the Government’s Farm Mechanisation Programme, a few years ago.

Police were recently deployed to the warehouse, which is along Simon Mazorodze Road, to guard the equipment.

Police and officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe also visited the premises and they will soon question Mr Mliswa in connection with the case.

Last week chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the developments.

“Yes, there is equipment under police guard belonging to Mliswa. We are carrying out investigations,” she said without divulging any other details for fearing to jeopardise the investigations.

In February, the embattled former Hurungwe legislator was arrested for illegally possessing seven AK47 assault rifles, with the police still to establish the intention for which he held the guns.

Mliswa was picked up by detectives from the CID Law and Order Section at his Spring Farm in Karoi where the guns were discovered.

According to sources, Mliswa was allegedly found in possession of the seven unlicensed AK47 rifles which were stashed at his farm. This was not the first time that Mliswa has had a brush with the law, although he was acquitted on several occasions.

In 2010, his lawyers sensationally revealed that he was facing up to 78 charges in Zimbabwe’s court system.

This was after he was arrested in the same year on allegations of extorting $1 600 from relatives of his two employees and the theft of 56 cattle in Karoi.

In the same year, Mliswa along with Martin Mutasa and George Marere spent weeks in prison after being arrested on charges of fraud involving $1,05 million.

The three were alleged to have defrauded a Harare man, Paul Westwood, of his 50 percent shares in Noshio Motors, a car dealer jointly owned by Westwood and Hammarskjöld Banda and his wife.

After release on bail, Mliswa was re-arrested and charged for crimes dating back to 2002, which included cases of assault and common assault, theft, public violence, contempt of court, extortion, malicious damage to property, Shop Licences Act violation, Firearms Act violation and housebreaking.

Mliswa and his co-accused were acquitted of the Noshio case in June 2011.