News / National
Kasukuwere off the hook
16 May 2014 at 08:12hrs | Views
Former Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere was Thursday saved from being quizzed by a parliamentary committee on the controversy surrounding the Zimunya-Marange Community Share Ownership Trust that has reportedly attracted the ire of President Robert Mugabe.
Kasukuwere was summoned to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment, but did not turn up after the august house's clerk, Austin Zvoma, blocked the move, arguing the Zanu-PF politburo member no longer superintended the Indeginisation and Empowerment ministry. Last night there were frantic efforts to overturn Zvoma's order, amid confusion on how he arrived at it.
Kasukuwere was accused of misleading Mugabe and the Marange community on how much diamond mining firms in Manicaland had pledged to contribute towards the community share ownership scheme. Mugabe launched the $50 million scheme in 2012, but the five mining firms in Manicaland recently denied ever pledging to contribute $10 m each towards the trust.
Kasukuwere insisted that the mines should pay up. The cacophony resulted in the parliamentary committee chaired by Zanu-PF Gokwe-Nembudziya lawmaker Justice Wadyajena summoning Kasukuwere, who presided over the launch of the scheme, to appear before it and explain how it was set up and to bring any documentation and agreements regarding pledges made to the trust by the mining companies.
On Thursday, Kasukuwere did not pitch up, and the deputy clerk of parliament Kennedy Chokuda told committee members that it was unfair to expect the minister to speak on a ministry he was no longer in charge of.
"Chokuda told us that we could not summon Kasukuwere in retrospect. He is no longer the minister of Indigenisation, so the files that we want from him are no longer in his custody," a member of the portfolio committee said last night. Zvoma confirmed that his office had blocked the appearance of Kasukuwere before the committee, saying it was "abnormal for the minister to appear before the committee as he was no longer in charge of that (indeginisation) portfolio".
"Having reflected on the matter, as a former minister he cannot be asked to appear and answer on behalf of a sitting minister. The law does not allow that once a minister has moved, he has no authority to speak on behalf of the ministry. We corrected a mistake because the committee summoned the minister in the firm belief that they were in the right," Zvoma told The Zimbabwe Mail.
"If there had been a criminal charge against the minister in his personal capacity, he would have been summoned by the court because parliament does not have such powers."
In a letter to Kasukuwere dated May 2, Zvoma wrote: "Please be advised that having further reflected on the matter the request to produce the documents and invitation is hereby withdrawn as matters should be properly addressed by the minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment. Please accept my apologies for the oversight that was made in the initial invitation."
Wadyajena said Kasukuwere did not proffer any reasons for not showing up, before referring further questions to the Speaker of the House of Assembly Jacob Mudenda, who was not picking up his phone.
In probing the Marange community share ownership trust, Wadyajena's committee also summoned the mining companies who testified in March that they agreed with Kasukuwere to contribute $1,5 million each. But the minister contented the agreement was for the companies to contribute $10m each towards the trust.
Kasukuwere last month told the National Assembly he was waiting for his day before the committee so that he could explain his case as he refused to discuss the issues in the full house.
"We implore parliament to ensure that all relevant players in this matter are given the opportunity to put the record straight. I await the opportunity to go to parliament to put the facts as they are. In the final analysis what is important is that the commitment to that community must be met," he was quoted as saying.
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister Francis Nhema has already appeared before the committee and revealed that Kasukuwere, on behalf of government, had not left any documentation relating to the trusts, but had made "gentleman‘s agreements" with the mining firms on how much they should contribute to the community.
"There was no written agreement on that Mr Chairperson, it was a gentlemen's agreement based on mutual respect and understanding of the law," Nhema said.
Nhema's statement did not go down well with the committee members who openly remonstrated with the minister, asking if gentlemen's agreements were now a "new government policy."
Mugabe has since ordered for a full probe into the matter.
Kasukuwere was summoned to appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment, but did not turn up after the august house's clerk, Austin Zvoma, blocked the move, arguing the Zanu-PF politburo member no longer superintended the Indeginisation and Empowerment ministry. Last night there were frantic efforts to overturn Zvoma's order, amid confusion on how he arrived at it.
Kasukuwere was accused of misleading Mugabe and the Marange community on how much diamond mining firms in Manicaland had pledged to contribute towards the community share ownership scheme. Mugabe launched the $50 million scheme in 2012, but the five mining firms in Manicaland recently denied ever pledging to contribute $10 m each towards the trust.
Kasukuwere insisted that the mines should pay up. The cacophony resulted in the parliamentary committee chaired by Zanu-PF Gokwe-Nembudziya lawmaker Justice Wadyajena summoning Kasukuwere, who presided over the launch of the scheme, to appear before it and explain how it was set up and to bring any documentation and agreements regarding pledges made to the trust by the mining companies.
On Thursday, Kasukuwere did not pitch up, and the deputy clerk of parliament Kennedy Chokuda told committee members that it was unfair to expect the minister to speak on a ministry he was no longer in charge of.
"Chokuda told us that we could not summon Kasukuwere in retrospect. He is no longer the minister of Indigenisation, so the files that we want from him are no longer in his custody," a member of the portfolio committee said last night. Zvoma confirmed that his office had blocked the appearance of Kasukuwere before the committee, saying it was "abnormal for the minister to appear before the committee as he was no longer in charge of that (indeginisation) portfolio".
"Having reflected on the matter, as a former minister he cannot be asked to appear and answer on behalf of a sitting minister. The law does not allow that once a minister has moved, he has no authority to speak on behalf of the ministry. We corrected a mistake because the committee summoned the minister in the firm belief that they were in the right," Zvoma told The Zimbabwe Mail.
"If there had been a criminal charge against the minister in his personal capacity, he would have been summoned by the court because parliament does not have such powers."
In a letter to Kasukuwere dated May 2, Zvoma wrote: "Please be advised that having further reflected on the matter the request to produce the documents and invitation is hereby withdrawn as matters should be properly addressed by the minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment. Please accept my apologies for the oversight that was made in the initial invitation."
Wadyajena said Kasukuwere did not proffer any reasons for not showing up, before referring further questions to the Speaker of the House of Assembly Jacob Mudenda, who was not picking up his phone.
In probing the Marange community share ownership trust, Wadyajena's committee also summoned the mining companies who testified in March that they agreed with Kasukuwere to contribute $1,5 million each. But the minister contented the agreement was for the companies to contribute $10m each towards the trust.
Kasukuwere last month told the National Assembly he was waiting for his day before the committee so that he could explain his case as he refused to discuss the issues in the full house.
"We implore parliament to ensure that all relevant players in this matter are given the opportunity to put the record straight. I await the opportunity to go to parliament to put the facts as they are. In the final analysis what is important is that the commitment to that community must be met," he was quoted as saying.
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister Francis Nhema has already appeared before the committee and revealed that Kasukuwere, on behalf of government, had not left any documentation relating to the trusts, but had made "gentleman‘s agreements" with the mining firms on how much they should contribute to the community.
"There was no written agreement on that Mr Chairperson, it was a gentlemen's agreement based on mutual respect and understanding of the law," Nhema said.
Nhema's statement did not go down well with the committee members who openly remonstrated with the minister, asking if gentlemen's agreements were now a "new government policy."
Mugabe has since ordered for a full probe into the matter.
Source - Zim Mail
