Minister Owen ‘Mudha’ Ncube Celebrates Explosives Manufacturing, Amid Allegations of Plotting False Charges Against War Veteran Activist
GWERU – Friday, 4 April 2025
By A Correspondent | In a startling development likely to intensify political tensions, Zimbabwe’s Minister of State for Midlands Province, Hon. Owen “Mudha” Ncube, is today publicly celebrating the province’s monopoly over civil explosives manufacturing — a move that appears to validate explosive claims recently made by war veteran and anti-corruption activist Blessed Geza.
The minister is currently attending the Midlands Investment Conference in Gweru, where he is spearheading a campaign to rebrand the province as Zimbabwe’s investment epicenter under the theme “Midlands Province: The Resource Centre of Zimbabwe – Unlock and Explore Unlimited Opportunities.” Among key highlights showcased is the province’s role as the sole supplier of Zimbabwe’s civil explosives, alongside strategic investments in mining, agriculture, and infrastructure.
But beneath the polished veneer of investment pledges and urban development promises, critics say there’s a darker undertone. Activist Blessed Geza, a vocal critic of corruption within the ruling elite, recently raised alarms that Minister Ncube is involved in a covert operation to falsely accuse him of criminal conduct — including the potential use of explosive-related charges.
Geza, known for exposing elite abuses and calling for transparency in security-linked investments, warned that the strategic positioning of Midlands in the civil explosives industry grants Ncube not only economic clout but dangerous leverage to fabricate cases against political opponents.
“This is not just about investment — it’s about control,” Geza said earlier this week. “The Minister is weaponizing industrial power for personal vendettas. The explosives angle is not coincidental; it’s calculated.”
Today’s emphasis by Minister Ncube on Midlands’ 100% control over Zimbabwe’s explosives sector — delivered with visible pride — may lend credence to those fears.
Observers also note the minister’s push for “efficient service delivery” and “fast-tracked approvals” during the conference may mask efforts to bypass oversight in sensitive sectors, including arms-linked production.
The five-day Midlands Investment Conference, running from 25 to 29 March at Village Lodge in Gweru, features major stakeholders including Dinson Iron and Steel Company, which is contributing 50MW to the national grid, and updates on the Manhize Smart City development.
However, for some, the biggest development isn’t in steel or smart cities — it’s the chilling implications of what happens when a provincial minister with a controversial history gains unchecked influence over explosive resources in a country already wrestling with political repression and corruption.
Developing story…