Taguma Mahonde

Taguma Mahonde
Director General ZIMSTAT; Taguma Mahonde
Personal details
Citizenship	Zimbabwean
Nationality	Zimbabwe
Occupation	Former Principal Director Ministry of Finance;
Known for	Being the DG of ZIMSTAT

Taguma Mahonde is a career bureaucrat. He was appointed the Director General of the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) in 2019.

Personal Details

No information was found on his age, place of birth, or family.

School / Education

No information was found on his Junior or High School, or any tertiary education.

Service/Career

Appointment As ZIMSTAT DG

In June 2019, Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, made several government agency appointments, including the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT). Taguma Mahonde, previously a Principal Director in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, was been appointed as the new Director-General of ZIMSTAT. Mahonde has a background as a career bureaucrat and has also served in the Ministry of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion. ^[1]

Events

Arrest, September 2023

Mahonde was arrested in September 2023 by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on fraud allegations. He was also facing a charge of contravening the Prevention of Corruption Act and an alternative charge of obstruction of justice.^[2]

Mahonde allegedly claimed school fees for a non-existent child. Prosecutors alleged that on 24 June 2019, Mahonde entered into a contract of employment with ZIMSTAT as DG and an education allowance for himself and his children were part of his benefits. On 03 September 2021, the ZIMSTAT board discussed Mahonde’s education allowance and resolved under Resolution BR500321/16 that the education allowance for the DG be reviewed upwards to US$800 per child per term for a maximum of three children.

Mahonde allegedly misrepresented to ZIMSTAT that he was claiming fees for three children for five terms to the amount of US$2 400 per term, despite the fact that he had officially claimed for two children initially. In a bid to cover up the offence, Mahonde allegedly paid $756 047 on March 21 and 22 this year as a refund for claiming US$4 000 for a non-existent child. The amount he paid back amounted to US$826 using the rate of the day he paid.

ZIMSTAT head of internal audit, Claudious Matiza allegedly uncovered the offence and he was suspended by Mahonde in order to frustrate the investigation. As a result, Mahonde was charged with obstructing the course of justice.^[3]

Mahonde appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa on 28 September 2023 and was remanded in custody to 02 October 2023 for his bail ruling. The State opposed bail alleging that Mahonde used threats to cover up for his alleged crimes.