Webster Shamu

Service/Career

He started politics in the 1960s when Southern Rhodesia was still a British colony. He left his job as disc jokey (DJ Master Blaster) to join the Second Chimurenga. Before he left the country, whilst a disc jockey, Shamu propagated the importance of joining the liberation struggle. ^[2]

After independence, he was elected Chegutu East member of parliament in the 2000 parliamentary elections. He was re-elected in 2008 and 2013. Shamu's first ministerial post came in 2004 when he was appointed Minister of State for Policy Implementation on 9 February 2004. He served in the same ministry for one year and was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture in 2005. ^[3] During the Government of National Unity (GNU) he was appointed minister of Information and Publicity from 2009 to 2013.

In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Chegutu East returned to Parliament:

• Webster Shamu of Zanu PF with 15 687 votes or 83.29 percent,
• Tawanda Bvumo of MDC–T with 2 713 votes or 14.40 percent,
• Jacob Moyo of MDC–N with 434 votes or 2.30 percent,

Total 18 834 votes

In October 2023, Shamu was named the new Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade in the 10th Parliament of Zimbabwe.

Events

Scandals

He was allegedly involved in an armed confrontation with a political opponent Philemon Matibe by throwing him, his wife, and their two children out of their property a 1 600 acre farm long before the farm invasions which took place around 2000. ^[4]

In 2009 he was implicated in a rhino poaching scandal together with Emmerson Mnangagwa. What made matters worse is that the police docket against him mysteriously disappeared from the attorney general's office fueling speculation that the allegations were true.^[5]

He was in 2014 blamed for the rot at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) which included gross mismanagement,incompetence and failing to discover obscene salaries paid to senior managers involved in the Salarygate.^[6]

As this was not enough, a Binga North member of parliament, Dubeko Prince Sibanda revealed that Shamu's wife Constance was on the ZBC payroll. ^[7]

He has often made bizarre comments praising Robert Mugabe. He at one point compared him to a popular milk brand 'Cremora' and wished he was his biological father. He once said if he had a chance to choose a father before birth, he would have chosen Mugabe. ^[8]

Shamu is alleged to have impregnated a 15 year old girl. It is believed he then flew the girl to the United Kingdom where she lives with the child. It was also reported that he was paying a month maintenance fee of USD$10 000 for the upkeep of the child. This affair became a source of conflict between Shamu and his wife Tsomondo and it eventually spilled into the public domain. ^[9]

Shamu has also been implicated in a number of scandals involving mining concessions and is alleged to have made a lot of money through the said underhand dealings. Shamu was said to be involved in a poaching scandal in which he was alleged to be in partnership with a Chinese national who was caught with six rhino horns at a police roadblock.^[10]

There were also reports that Shamu had changed his name and was previously known as Charles Ndlovu but the reasons for the name change remained undisclosed.^[11]

Factionalism in 2014 - 2017

In mid 2014 Shamu was accused by Robert Mugabe loyalists of siding with the Mujuru faction led by vice president Joice Mujuru. In his Mashonaland West Province, the executive committee denounced him for failing to take part in important provincial meetings. This followed the ouster of his wife who was the leader of the women's league in the province. Shamu was elected into the central committee in the provincial elections held in November 2014 in Chinhoyi. However, a week a later, some youths demonstrated against Shamu accusing him of fanning factionalism. Provincial chairperson Ziyambi Ziyambi nominated Christopher Mutsvangwa who was then believed to be a Mugabe loyalist to replace Shamu.

Downfall

Shamu lost his post in the central committee in Zanu-PF after he failed to get the nomination in his Mashonaland west province. He however won the initial nomination but did not get the much-needed endorsement from the provincial executive. He thus lost qualification to sit in the cabinet. During the Zanu-PF congress held in December 2014, the politburo dissolved his Commissariat department and this automatically left him without any influence in the party. He was also fired from his post as minister of ICT by president Robert Mugabe and was replaced by Supa Mandiwanzira who was generally viewed as a Mugabe loyalist.

Webster Shamu was eventually suspended from the party alongside 38 other senior party officials after being linked to a plot to oust President Mugabe in both Zanu-PF and Government and replace him with Joice Mujuru.

Come-Back

In 2016 Shamu was reported to be on the way to being readmitted into Zanu-PF through appointments to the party's Central Committee. ^[12] In December 2016, Shamu was appointed a Central Committee member at the Zanu PF 16th Annual National People’s Conference.

In October 2017 Shamu was appointed Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province a move that was described by the media as a surprise for a man who had been "languishing in political Siberia" just a year earlier.^[13]

Dismissal

On 21 May 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa relieved Shamu of his Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province post with immediate. effect. Shamu’s dismissal cames after reports that he attempted to rig the Zanu-PF primary election rerun in Chegutu East. ^[14]

Farm Mechanisation Scheme

In July 2020, Webster Shamhu was listed, in the BSR of 18 July 2020, as a beneficiary in the 2007 RBZ Farm Mechanisation Scheme, as a result of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.

The data is analysed by recipients origin:.

• Mashonaland provinces had the most beneficiaries, both in terms of numbers and value.
  

Mashonaland East got US$47,5 million,
Mashonaland West US$44,7 million
Mashonaland Central had US$34,2 million.

• Two Matebeleland provinces had a combined total of US$13,9 million.
• Masvingo US$26,4 million,
• Manicaland US$18 million
• Midlands US$14 million.

Webster Shamhu is listed under the thematic group “Politicians”. According to the list, he got a loan of US$302,715.00, which he never paid back. ^[15]

References