Ex-minister Matonga denies US$500k theft case

Former Information Deputy Minister Bright Matonga, who was arrested in June last year on charges of stealing farming equipment valued at over US$500,000, denied the allegations on Thursday before Chegutu Magistrate Ms. Evelyn Mashawakure.

The court postponed the case to January 27 for cross-examination.

Through his lawyer, Mr. Innocent Muchini of Muchini Attorneys, Matonga argued that the tractors in question were left at his farm in 2021 as collateral for unpaid dues owed by the complainant, Mr. Dave Van Breda.

Matonga alleged that Van Breda later removed the tractors from his farm without his consent. Following this, Matonga reported the incident to police in Chegutu, who intercepted the equipment in Selous and returned it to his property.

The State, represented by prosecutor Mr. Tafadzwa Vhore, contends that Matonga unlawfully took the farming implements, which were part of a joint venture agreement between him and Van Breda.

This is not Matonga's first run-in with the law. In July last year, he faced similar allegations, this time involving the theft of irrigation pipes and electricity transformers. Matonga also denied those charges.

Additionally, in 2019, Matonga was cleared in a separate case where he was accused of defrauding a Malawian national, Kelvin Chipeta, of US$10,000 in a failed deal involving demonetized Zimbabwe dollar notes. Chipeta later withdrew the case, leading to its dismissal by Harare Magistrate Mrs. Learnmore Mapiye.

Matonga, a former government official, continues to battle multiple legal challenges, with the current cases casting a spotlight on disputes surrounding farming ventures and property ownership.