Mnangagwa's maize stolen

POLICE have arrested three men - two drivers and a suspected buyer - who were in the habit of stealing part of President Mnangagwa's maize deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board depot in Chegutu.

ZRP national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that the suspects were in police custody.

The trio is set to appear at Chegutu Magistrates' Court today for initial remand.

The three - drivers Sebastian Mharadze (66) and Christopher Tirivavi (66) and their suspected buyer Shepherd Chirenga (43) - were arrested after the drivers diverted route on their way to the GMB Chegutu Depot.

They were delivering maize from President Mnangagwa's Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, but diverted and went to Chirenga were they offloaded 4,5 tonnes of maize.

The maize is reported to have been offloaded at the Cottco Site Tent in Chegutu before the drivers continued with their journey to the Chegutu GMB Depot. However, information is said to have filtered to the police in Chegutu who tracked the trucks to the GMB Depot where it was confirmed that part of the maize had been stolen.

Mharadze and Tirivavi were subsequently arrested and they implicated Chirenga, amid reports that further investigations indicated that the trio was in the habit of stealing President Mnangagwa maize.

According to information available, the alleged culprits gained their employer's trust and developed a habit of stealing from him for close to five years.

The papers also stated that one of the drivers confessed to have barter-traded five tonnes of maize for a Mazda Demio while the other two bought several properties from their stolen loot.

Unconfirmed reports also indicated that President Mnangagwa could have been prejudiced of more than 40 tonnes of maize through the scam.