Mugabe's Zvimba home targeted by bomb plotters

OWEN Kuchata, leader of a fringe political party, the Zimbabwe People's Front, faces a lengthy jail term after admitting a plot to bomb a plant of Alpha Omega Dairy - a business owned by President Robert Mugabe and the First Lady.

Kuchata, 34, made a dramatic change of plea to the charge of terrorism before Harare magistrate Hoseah Mujaya last Friday.

He will be sentenced today, and could face life in jail.

Kuchata and alleged accomplice Borman Ngwenya, 30, face charges of planning an insurgency, sabotage, banditry or terrorism.

He is facing an additional charge of money laundering for terrorism purposes.

In a related case, he is charged with treason alongside Ngwenya, Solomon Makumbe, 29, and Silas Pfupa, 37, after further investigations revealed that they sought to overthrow the government through unconstitutional means.

Ngwenya is a member of the Zimbabwe National Army's 1 Field Regiment, and Makumbe a member of the Zimbabwe Intelligence Corps.

Prosecutors say the quartet had established a militia training base in Mapinga, Mashonaland West, where they planned to commit terror acts, sabotage and banditry.

The gang, according to prosecutors, went to President Mugabe's rural home in Zvimba where they carried out a reconnaissance mission, identifying suitable vulnerable points to sabotage.

On Friday last week, Kuchata was brought before magistrate Mujaya for plea recording and pleaded guilty to the terrorism charge.

He said it was his idea to commit the crime.

But in an about turn, Kuchata later took exception to the charge of terrorism and changed his plea to not guilty, arguing that Alpha Omega Dairy was not a government facility, but President Mugabe's private enterprise.

Michael Reza, the lead prosecutor, maintained that the terror charge was appropriate, insisting the attack was not targeted at the dairy as a business, but at the Office of the President of Zimbabwe.

Mujaya had set his trial date for February 24, but in a dramatic twist, Kuchata was later returned to court on the same day, changing his 'not guilt/ plea to 'guilty*.

Kuchata told the court that when he initially changed his guilty plea to 'not guilt/, he had misunderstood the interpreter.

He said when the interpreter told him what was happening in Shona, it came out as if he was alleged to have wanted to bomb State property.

Kuchata repeated that his sole intention was to bomb the private property of the President in his personal capacity, not State property.

Kuchata, who had been given the State papers for him to prepare his defence, said after carefully going through all the papers, he came to the conclusion that at law he did not have the right to commit the crime.

Initially, he had told the court that he believed he had the right to bomb Alpha Omega Dairy saying: "Since Fm representing the rights of other Zimbabweans,

I had the right to bomb his private property because Robert Mugabe is causing disorder and problems in this country"

Before sentencing today, Mujaya ordered prosecutors to produce original documents from the Standards Association of Zimbabwe which certified that the petrol bombs recovered from Kuchata and his associates were real and lethal.

Prosecutors had tendered a photocopy of the documents from the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.

The First Family's multi-million-dollar dairy and processing plant produces milk, ice cream, chocolate and other products.

Police reportedly got wind of the men's plans and arrested them on the morning of January 29 metres from the facility.

They were allegedly found in possession of four 750ml brandy botdes containing petrol, ammonium nitrate, nails, and sand - ingredients of a petrol bomb.

Party documents, including the ZPF manifesto and constitution were also seized.