Cottco arrests: Masuka fingered in the mess
26 August 2022
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By A Correspondent| In an exclusive investigation, Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka has been sucked in the ongoing Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) graft arrests amid escalating Zanu PF factions with new evidence suggesting the war behind control of the parastatal.

Masuka, according to inside sources unprocedurally appointed the Cottco Board Chaiperson Mr Sifelani Jabangwe who together with the other Cottco Marketing Manager run a company which is awarded tenders by Cottco.

Last week the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) arrested Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena alongside Cottco officials, Pius Manamike, Maxmore Njanji, Fortunate Molai and Pierpont Moncroix director Chiedza Danha.

The arrests are allegedly stemming from the state of political affairs with Minister Masuka, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) boss Tafadzwa Musarara and ZACC commissioner John Makamure using all resources to curtail political interests of their perceived threats.

“ Njanji has become a common enemy especially to Musarara due to the fact that he is recognised as threat in Mazowe Central parly seat which is currently under Sydney Chidamba a known and close associate of Musarara,” explained an inside source within Zanu PF.

“ He also did fully back Kazembe Kazembe during the provincial elections which saw Musarara losing, so all those factors should not be looked in isolation at the same time remember that the minister has numerous graft issues at Cottco.”

Masuka allegedly owns a company called Tatoo Advertising jointly operated with his girlfriend at Cottco, Cynthia Tapera, a Board member, Business Development, Sales and Marketing personnel, which they are using to grab tenders.

This publication is further told that Tapera initiated the purchasing of 2 Brahman Bulls using Cottco funds, “ the minister is persecuting Manamike and Njanji so that he gets total control of the parastatal together with his aligned cronies like Jabangwe and Tapera

“ He further knows that some of his corrupt activities are under investigation, this includes the fact that he has a mansion which was built by the Chinese as a reward for winning them a tender to construct dams across the country.”

Currently, Njanji and the other Cottco officials are out on bail in a case which they are being accused of fraud and money laundering charges involving US$5 million.

According to a document that has been seen by this publication, the bale ties from which the charges are emanating were delivered by Giant Equipment on the 18th of March 2019 further exposing the arrests as a mere political machination to smear campaign.

“ Further to that, Mayor who chairs the parliamentary portfolio committee is an arch rival to Musarara due to the corruption probe in the US$28,8 million on GMAZ with ZACC commissioner Makamure aspiring for the Gokwe Nembudziya seat in the 2023 election, hence the case its all factional politics,” added the source.

Meanwhile, the Zanu PF party in Mazowe district is castigating Musarara over engineering of the arrest against Njanji.

“ The arrest of Njanji has teared into the party, Njanji in his capacity as provincial member commands authority in Mazowe district due to his selfless support to the party activities hence his engineered arrests has seen vitriol attacks on Musarara whole allegedly poured a tune of US$25k to ZACC for it to sink Njanji on trumped up charges.

“ The youths are not happy and recently some of them even dared him during an inter district meeting,” said a senior party official in Mazowe.