By Crime and Courts Reporter- Former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi has been arrested.

Mzembi was arrested in Harare on Friday night by members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), just days after he reportedly met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The former Tourism Minister who has been a fugitive from justice since fleeing the country in the aftermath of the November 2017 military coup, was taken into custody under unclear circumstances.

His arrest follows mounting speculation that his return to Zimbabwe and recent engagements with top government officials, including a confidential meeting with Mnangagwa earlier this week, were part of a negotiated political comeback.

A former ZANU PF heavyweight and cabinet minister under the late President Robert Mugabe, Mzembi fled Zimbabwe after the coup that ended Mugabe’s 37-year rule and ushered Mnangagwa into power.

He was one of several ministers aligned to the G40 faction—loyal to former First Lady Grace Mugabe—who were purged from government and faced corruption charges shortly after the change of leadership.

Mzembi has since lived in self-imposed exile in South Africa, where he consistently denied the corruption allegations against him.

Despite an active warrant for his arrest, his movements had gone largely unchecked—until now.

His surprise reappearance in Harare earlier this week, and the reports of a closed-door meeting with President Mnangagwa, raised eyebrows both within the ruling party and among political observers.

Speculation was rife that Mzembi was exploring a political rehabilitation deal in exchange for his return, a possibility that now seems to have backfired.

Details around his arrest remain sketchy, but sources close to the matter say ZACC officials picked him up late Friday evening and detained him for questioning over unresolved corruption charges stemming from his tenure as Foreign Affairs Minister.

He was previously accused of misappropriating funds meant for a tourism conference during his time as Tourism Minister.

Mzembi’s arrest could signal internal rifts or shifting allegiances within the ruling elite. Some analysts view the move as part of a broader power play by Mnangagwa to assert dominance over former rivals and ensure that any return to the fold is strictly on his terms.

thers suggest it may be an attempt to neutralise potential threats within ZANU PF ahead of future succession battles.

ZACC spokes person Simiso Mlevu confirmed Mzembi’s arrest reporters, without giving details.

Efforts to contact Mzembi’s legal representatives were unsuccessful at the time of publication.