Mohadi hails Mugabe ouster as Bushiri prophecy comes closer

STATE SECURITY minister Kembo Mohadi on Saturday said Zanu-PF had dumped President Robert Mugabe for surrounding himself with "anti-revolutionaries and criminals".

He said the military intervention was meant to neutralise Mugabe's grip on power and rid government of the "dirty" elements.

Mohadi was speaking to village leadership gathered for an environmental impact assessment meeting of the Beitbridge Colliery at Tshituripasi in his Beitbridge East constituency.



"We are no longer with him. We parted ways with him (Mugabe). I don't know if you have heard what is happening in Harare, but we are not with him anymore.

"Initially, the army wanted to remove dirty people around Mugabe, but he was stubborn," Mohadi, who was part of the negotiating team for Mugabe's exit talks facilitated by Sadc and South African President Jacob Zuma's envoys, said.

"Everyone was subjected to the military scrutiny and I was vetted by the army when I returned from Mozambique. They sat me down at the airport while they checked my background before clearing me. We must let them (army) do their work."

Mohadi heads the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), which is widely believed to be at the core of Mugabe's security team.
 
His comments came amid reports that all CIO operatives had been ordered to co-operate with the military and surrender official vehicles to their respective stations until the army's operation was over.

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces, led by General Constantino Chiwenga, last week led a well-coordinated military intervention which is pushing Mugabe to step down after 37 years of interrupted rule.

"It is not correct to say they (military) staged a coup because Mugabe continued his role as President," Mohadi said, adding that he once jointly owned a Beitbridge coal claim with Mugabe.

He said the special grant to exploit coalfields at Tshatapita village, 100 kilometres east Beitbridge, was once given to Kemro (Kembo and Robert), a company owned by him and Mugabe, but was separated by an unnamed Mines minister.
 
"A new Pharaoh who did not know Moses came and separated the grant, leaving me with 40 000 hectares which we are starting to exploit," he told villagers keen to know their benefits.

Mohadi, who earlier toured the mine and an area for the proposed new border post, said revenue from the mine would be used to build a new border post and bridge between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

"We have agreed with our South African colleagues who are also building another town on their side. Many jobs will be created and the development is yours.

"This is much of legacy, my legacy. I don't need money anymore, I am old and want to leave a name."

An official at Beitbridge Colliery, Rodwell Kamuriwo, said the mine would create 5 000 direct and 5 000 downstream jobs.

Kamuriwo said coal exports will be through South Africa, adding the projected output was 300 000 tonnes per month with each tonne generating at least $165.
 
"We will build Kembo Mohadi City, a border post and a bridge with the same name and we are starting to clear the ground for Kembo Mohadi Regional Airport. Before we build the bridge, we will take coal across through a conveyor belt to be built across the Limpopo River."

He added that Beitbridge Colliery will also build a highway alongside Limpopo River to Beitbridge town.

The acting mine manager at the plant, Bothwell Ndou, said they were eight metres away from the coal bench and the quality of the coal was good.

"It's here, we are on it and we are ready to roll," Ndou said.