Tarirai David Mnangagwa

Dion Kunene

In 2016, Mnangagwa's ex-wife Dion Kunene bought a child and lied to him that it was theirs. Tarirai Mnangagwa said Dion had connived with the real mother of the baby called Chantelle Ndlovu to trick him. He revealed that he found out about the trick after the biological father of the child Joseph Ngwenya informed him about what had happened. Dion Kunene allegedly went on the run in South Africa and could neither confirm nor deny the allegations and said: "I have a lot of explanations to make but what I can say now is what happened was never meant to hurt anyone."^[3]

Brita Masalethulini

He was in a relationship with former Miss Malaika Brita Masalethulini. The two had a nasty breakup in 2014.^[3]

On 28 July 2014, Brita approached the Harare Civil Court seeking a protection order against Mnangagwa who claimed that she proposed love to him. She said Tarirai was in the habit of physically, emotionally and verbally abusing her. In her affidavit, Brita Masalethuni said Tarirai Mnangagwa had physically assaulted her on several occasions and even threatened to shoot her over petty issues, boasting that nothing would ever happen to him as he was politically well-connected.

Brita claimed that Tarirai threatened to forcibly take the child away from her. Tarirai denied the allegations and accused Brita of having approached him for the love affair. He said Brita was furious because he told her that she was too old to be his wife. Magistrate Babra Masinire granted the protection order which barred Tarirai from physically or verbally abusing Brita and ordered the two to preserve peace towards each other.^[1]

Companies

Tarirai Mnangagwa owns Spartan Security.

Black Market Activities

In September 2019, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Financial Intelligence Unit ordered banks to freeze accounts for Spartan Security which was one of six companies fuelling the parallel market trade in foreign currency.^[4]

Gun Incident

In May 2020, Tarirai David Mnangagwa refused to have an electricity meter reading taken at his house and fired shots in the air to threaten a ZESA employee.

ZESA meter reader Clement Mateta arrived at the property located on Plot 52 of Bundu Park Farm in an area of Norton known as Lydiate in the company of driver Edmore Muzerengi, a former Sunday Mail photographer contracted by the power utility to drive meter readers.

Tarirai Mnangagwa posted a statement on his Facebook account claiming that he worked as a bodyguard for Emmerson Mnangagwa and he was suspicious of the unmarked vehicle which was allegedly driven at speed on his driveway. He did not address the allegations that he threatened to kill the men and fired shots in the air but accused the pair of formulating a false narrative because he had threatened to report them to their bosses.

"The speed at which they drove was in itself a cause for suspicion. Usually a person entering another’s yard regardless of the reason will drive at a courteous speed. Already on alert, Tarirai asked them to identify themselves as their entrance and driving speed had been suspicious. All they had was a letter from the power utility giving them permission to the work on the farm. He remarked that it was not sufficient to identify them and asked that they call their respective offices so that their identity could be corroborated. In due course however, Tarirai gave them the permission to work on the ZESA meters as stated in the job card as he monitored them."

^[5][6]

Mine Grab

Tarirai David Mnangagwa was accused of seizing gold mining claims in Gweru after the owners had invited him to invest in the project.

The gold mining claims in question were under Block 16 Quarts mining claims called Jilikin 25, registration number 12641BM. In court papers, Chad Cecil Mupandanyama said he had owned the claims since 2005.

Mnangagwa filed an application with the court, alleging that he had been duped of US$4 million by Mupanganyama after he was booted out of a company which he co-founded.

Mupandanyama said initially, he was partners with Eliazel Mushiringi, who later roped in Mnangagwa to register a company called Wozheri Stone Crushers (Pvt) Ltd using a forged signature and other documents obtained fraudulently. As a result, Mupandanyama wanted the High Court to issue an order declaring the registration of Wozheri Stone Crushers unlawful.

He also sought the cancellation of the memorandum of agreement entered into between Mushiringi and Mnangagwa on November 28, 2017.

On January 7, 2016, Mupandanyama said he entered into a tribute agreement with Mushiringi in terms of which he (Mupandanyama) agreed to grant mining rights to Mushiringi to develop, extract, mill and treat ore from the same and dispose of the product for own account.

On March 18, 2016, Mupandanyama said Mushiringi entered into another agreement with Mnangagwa in terms of which he agreed to give up his mining rights, which he was exercising by virtue of the tribute agreement with Mupandanyama, to Swifteagle.

This included the installation of a granite crushing plant, payment of council fees, mine inspection fees, transport, food, accommodation, site fencing, costs of assaying and application of certificates.^[7]

The High Court barred Mnangagwa from carrying out any mining activities at Jilikin Gold Mine. He was also ordered to pay the costs of the suit at legal practitioners-client scale in a court ruling by Justice Happias Zhou delivered on December 28 2020.^[8]

References