United Nations: Is Mnangagwa shielding notorious Magura Charumbira and other Lacoste officials from arrest? | LETTERS
10 December 2017
Dear United Nations,
Zimbabweans welcome all efforts by the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government to get rid of criminal behaviour. However, the blitz on such behaviour 
should be extended to all elements of society, including members of Comrade Mnangagwa’s Lacoste function, and should be done above body. As raised by MDC-T member of Parliament Innocent Gonese in parliament recently, President Mnangagwa should explain why the army is being involved and has been deployed into the streets to do a job which should normally have been done by the police.
should be extended to all elements of society, including members of Comrade Mnangagwa’s Lacoste function, and should be done above body. As raised by MDC-T member of Parliament Innocent Gonese in parliament recently, President Mnangagwa should explain why the army is being involved and has been deployed into the streets to do a job which should normally have been done by the police.One Magura Charumbira, a self-confessed Lacoste criminal, who has extorted money from vendors in Bulawayo for many years continues to wreak havoc, boasting publicly recently that he is untouchable because he is the one who triggered President Mnangagwa’s rise to Presidency.
ZANU PF’s controversial Bulawayo district youth league leader Magura Charumbira has over the years ordered informal traders to pay $2 protection fees to the ruling party to avoid being harassed by municipal police during the ongoing blitz against illegal vendors. On 27 November 2017, he upped his tempo and ordered Makokoba residents to attend a meeting at Davis Hall, which is Zanu PF’s Provincial headquarters.
The evidence that Magura has the President’s blessing in doing all this is because he has not been arrested, neither have his bank accounts been frozen as has been done to the bank accounts of Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukukuwere. President Mnangagwa, therefore, seems to resemble his mentor former President Mugabe, who would preach non tolerance to violence in one breath, but whisper to his security team to deal ruthlessly with his opponents, and when they get convicted by the courts, interfered to get them freed, like he did when he freed the security agents who nearly killed the now late Patrick Kombayi.
Zimbabwe needs a real new beginning in which it gets a new President outside Zanu PF. And imagine if Magura has the audacity to frog march people to Zanu PF rallies now, what will become of him when official elections campaigns begin? For that reason, I appeal to the United Nations to critically monitor Zimbabwe’s electoral process leading to the 2018 harmonised elections and help Zimbabweans be able to exercise their democratic right to choose a leader of their choice.
More worrying is the fact that the President has decided to include in his cabinet military and other people who are on record as having been involved in corrupt practices. The report which quotes David Coltart titled How ED got it wrong with first cabinet gives some insights into some of the showdy deals.
I am worried by such dubious leadership and demand that such duplicity be addressed. If the President made made some rushed not-so-well-thought decisions, that is if he is well meaning, it is not too late for him to re-think and act right.
I have copied the Speaker and Clerk of Parliament so that they can forward my complaint to the Dear President for him to reflect on what is happening.
Kennedy Kaitano