Tendai Biti in trouble over Solomon Mujuru's death

ZANU-PF has reacted angrily to allegations by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) secretary general, Tendai Biti, that the party was responsible for the death of its politburo member, the late former army general Solomon Mujuru.

This emerged as police began pondering over the possibility of interviewing Guy Watson-Smith, the former white owner of the Beatrice farm at which Mujuru died from an unexplained inferno.

The plan to interview Watson-Smith appeared to suggest that police investigations into the death of Zimbabwe's first black army commander could have made little headway so far in unraveling circumstances that led to the death of Mujuru and put to rest speculation that he could have been murdered.

Biti reportedly alleged that ZANU-PF had a hand in the death of Mujuru, courting the ire of the former liberation war party whose secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, lodged a formal complaint against Biti with the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC).

In his letter of complaint in possession of this newspaper, Mutasa, who in July this year also lodged another complaint with JOMIC over unfavourable coverage of ZANU-PF by the so-called private media, described Biti's alleged remarks as "outbursts of inflammatory and hate speech".

He demanded that JOMIC and the police should invite Biti to explain his statement as well as provide evidence to support his allegations.

Mutasa said Biti's outburst on August 21, 2011 at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare was made despite the fact that the police were still investigating the retired general's death.

"The police have made it public that results of their investigation shall be made known when the investigation is completed. But alas, we have the secretary general of the MDC-T, a lawyer for that matter, already accusing ZANU-PF of the callous murder of its own senior party member," said Mutasa, in a letter dated August 22, 2011.

"ZANU-PF views this as a very reckless and irresponsible statement by the MDC-T, especially coming from someone who should know better. Mr Biti's comments are in very bad taste and are clearly against the spirit of the Global Political Agreement and in violation of Article XIX 19.1 (e), which cautions against the use of abusive language that incite hostility, political intolerance or that unfairly undermines other political parties," said Mutasa in the letter.

Mutasa's letter, addressed to JOMIC co-chairpersons Nicholas Goche (ZANU-PF), Elton Mangoma (MDC-T) and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC), was also copied to the ZANU-PF presidium consisting of President Robert Mugabe, Vice Presidents Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo and national chairperson, Simon Kha-ya Moyo.

JOMIC is still to deliberate on ZANU-PF's latest complaint.

But the most intriguing twist to the death of Mujuru was the interest by police to interview former farm owner, Watson-Smith.

Impeccable sources this week said the quizzing of Watson-Smith, who has publicly expressed his views to the press on the suspicious death of the army general, was the major missing link in unraveling Mujuru's death.

Mujuru died on August 15 this year at his Alamein Farm in a horrendous and suspicious fire that burnt him beyond recognition in what President Mugabe was later to describe as "a holocaust".

A number of conspiracy theories have swirled on Mujuru's death.

Soon after his death, Watson-Smith wrote that it was "improbable" that anybody could be trapped in the Alamein farmhouse and die from a house fire.

Soon after Mujuru died, the commercial farmer told the Voice of America that besides many exit points in the Alamein farmhouse, materials that were used in its construction made it largely fireproof.

"It's a big sprawling 14 room farmhouse. It's all on one level and every room is peppered with doors and windows. No windows had burglar bars - they were all big double windows," said Watson-Smith.

"The main bedroom, where I understand he may have finally been found, has three exit doors just from that one bedroom alone, plus four double windows. So it seemed to me improbable that anybody could be trapped in such an open home."

An e-mail sent to the former farmer by The Financial Gazette last week was not replied.

In 2001, the farmer sued Mujuru over his eviction from Alamein Farm, the first ever legal action that was taken against a beneficiary of the controversial land reform programme in the country. The court action sought an order compelling Mujuru to immediately return the property.

The High Court and the Supreme Court were to later rule in favour of the evicted farmer but the judgments were never enforced.

In court papers, Watson-Smith, who was a director and shareholder of Hanagwe (Pvt) Ltd, which owned Alamein and Elim farms in Beatrice, said he had left farm equipment at the property that was taken over by Mujuru.

The farmer argued that although the farm was gazetted for compulsory acquisition on August 25, 2000 and an acquisition order served on him on December 5, 2001, the 90-day notice period had not yet expired when he was forcibly moved out.

He added that movable assets he left were valued at US$1,7 million.

Police are understood to be keen to locate the former tobacco farmer who is said to be now domiciled in France, but frequents South Africa.

In a brief telephone interview yesterday, national police spokesperson, senior assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, said, dismissively: "I am not aware of that."