National

Mugabe, British firm bribes expose opens can of worms

Published

4 years ago

September 18, 2021

JOHANNESBURG – Bribes of up to $500 000 and the clandestine planting of surveillance equipment and spies in Southern Africa are just some of the damning allegations levelled against British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa) this week.

The National Council Against Smoking wants the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) and the Special Investigating Unit to probe Batsa for allegedly bribing the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe with between $300 000 and $500 000 to secure the release of three directors of a security company implicated in robbery conspiracies.

The council said it had sourced the bribery allegations from a BBC current affairs programme.

“Thousands of leaked documents shown to the BBC also reveal BAT was paying bribes in South Africa and using illegal surveillance to damage rivals. Most of this work [was] outsourced to a South African company called Forensic Security Services (FSS), [which] worked with Batsa from 2000 to 2016,” the council said.

“It is not surprising that BAT is once again entangled in such accusations; decades of tobacco industry interference tactics with policy are well documented, and it is disappointing that not much is being done to stop the industry from meddling behind the scenes. Companies must be held accountable for their role in corruption.”

“As is to be expected, BAT has denied the charges. It is difficult though not to conclude that the usual way for BAT to do business in Africa is through corruption and this will continue until the company is investigated and charged,” the council added.

Its views were echoed by the Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association, which, through its chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, claimed that private investigators were planting surveillance equipment inside the homes of the association’s members, as well as “setting up of an illegal spy network in neighbouring Zimbabwe”.

In a statement this week, Mnguni also alleged that Batsa colluded with state representatives in South Africa in its supposed spying, while committing alleged money-laundering to pay the “spies”.

“We have had sight of sworn to and draft affidavits obtained from former state officials, intelligence agents and persons who were involved in these practices in respect of the above.

“These clearly demonstrate that there was clear collusion between the multinationals, their private investigators, and state officials to drive a clear agenda against some of our members,” Mnguni said.

“These practices were not lawful, have had, and will continue to have a negative impact on our members [in] growing local businesses.”
In a statement to the Mail & Guardian, BAT said a UK investigation in January 2021 had cleared it of all wrongdoing.

“The criminal illicit cigarette trade has a significant detrimental effect on society and should be the focus of collective effort and attention by all stakeholders,” BAT said.

“We emphatically reject the mischaracterisation of our conduct by some media outlets.” – Mail&Guardian

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

4 weeks ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.

National

Retailers send Mnangagwa SOS as shops continue shutting down over operational woes

Published

3 months ago

January 27, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY ZIMLIVE

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and save the sector which has seen various formal retail and wholesale businesses closing shop countrywide due to operational challenges.

In a statement on Sunday, CZR president Denford Mutashu said the continued closure of formal retail and wholesale businesses is a direct consequence of the tough economic environment that has consistently failed to support formalised sector players who face stiff competition from informal businesses and vendors the majority of whom have no tax obligations to deal with.

Mutashu said his association was concerned that authorities continue to downplay the crisis.

“The recent closure of several outlets under the N. Richards Group, coupled with Spar Zimbabwe’s painful decision to shut down Queensdale Spar, Choppies Zimbabwe’s exit from the market, and Mahommed Mussa’s significant reduction of shop space by 60%, highlights the growing crisis.

“As the representative association for these and other brands, CZR is alarmed that while formal businesses face enormous challenges, the authorities continue to present a different picture of the operating environment,” he said.

Given the situation, Mutashu said, only President Mnangagwa can rescue the troubled sector.

“CZR therefore calls for urgent intervention from His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to rescue what remains of the formalized retail and wholesale sector,” said Mutashu.

He said the sector was in urgent need of rescue.

“While CZR acknowledges the continued support from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it is clear that the root causes of these challenges are fiscal and monetary in nature. These require urgent and decisive action to ensure the survival of formal businesses.

“CZR therefore appeals to the Presidium to prioritize interventions aimed at saving jobs and mitigating the ongoing wave of shop closures and retrenchments,” he said.