Convict fingers Mujuru

A CONVICT accused of inciting a food riot which claimed five lives at Chikurubi Maximum Prison early this year, has claimed that a senior prison official linked to the Zanu-PF faction led by former VP Joice Mujuru caused the fateful incident.

According to NewZimbabwe, Jacob Sibanda told a Harare court this week that Assistant Commissioner Jealous Dumbura was aligned to Zanu-PF's Gamatox faction and terrorised inmates who refused to back the group.

Sibanda first requested the court to protect him as he claimed he was going to expose the rot which triggered food riot and why officers were engaged in running battles with inmates in D Hall, where it all started.

"There were youths who had been recruited from among us and they would frequently cause havoc," he said.

"A list of names was written down and given to Dumbura to take action but this did not help our situation as he was the leader of this team.

"Dumbura said we were going to die of hunger since those who previously supplied food to the inmates had been fired for being members of the Gamatox (Mujuru faction).

"He said 'go and cry before your father (President Mugabe) so that he can give you food as he did in 2014'.

"He also said the First Lady took animals and placed them in a farm so there was nowhere to cultivate food for the inmates anymore," Sibanda said.