‘Security Services Ganging Up Against Mnangagwa’

Top Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) agent Stephen Chenjerai Tserayi has accused Zimbabwe’s security services of ganging up against his boss, President Mnangagwa, to cause a revolt against his presidency.

Tserayi, who is a co-accused in the Henrietta Rushwaya gold smuggling case currently before the courts, is Mnangagwa’s aide.

The top CIO agent said this through his lawyer, Admire Rubaya, during cross examination of Detective Chief Inspector Michael Chibaya, who is investigating the alleged attempted gold smuggling.

Rubaya brought this up during arguments that Gift Karanda had name-dropped First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa together with her son Collins in order to try and obstruct the course of justice.

“Is it not the case that the issue of the statement is a well-coordinated, counter revolutionary disinformation tactic being peddled by security malcontents including detective Chief Inspector Michael Chibaya from Law and Order designed to wage a digital warfare on the Presidency of Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa and his family?”

Rubaya also told Chibaya that he was “being misused, abused and overused as a pawn in a political chess game where there is a plot to portray Mnangagwa as a bad leader and cause hostility to his person and family leading to the agitation of the citizenry to rise up against his presidency”.

Chibaya dismissed this as a lie, saying the case has its own effects as evidence given by witnesses stated this and the defence only wanted to divert the effects on the matter by bringing up such a question.

He also told the court that he felt that it was unfair that Tserayi was trying to portray a bad picture of the police and its sister security organisations, by assuming that they were working in cahoots to cause an uprising against Mnangagwa.

“I feel it is malicious for the defence counsel to portray a picture as though the police in particular and other security sectors are intending to cause anarchy and despondency by soiling the image of His Excellency and his family. The position being taken by the defence counsel with the intention of saving his client at all costs is wrong,” he said.

Chibaya told the court that he could not interview Collins Mnangagwa whose name is mentioned in the witness statements due to protocols with regards to interviewing the First Family and that their involvement was dispelled by police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi and Information secretary Nick Mangwana.

“I did not interview Collins Mnangagwa because of protocols that need to be followed when interviewing the First Family. Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi and Information secretary Nick Mangwana made press statements concerning the issue of the First Family.”

Chibaya accused Tserayi of interfering with police investigations by causing the removal of exhibits and deletion of certain facts from the smuggling docket.

Tinashe Tanyanyiwa Snr, representing Ali Mohammed, also cross examined Chibaya, who told the court that the alleged US$50 million investment by Mohammed in the country was not a hindrance for him to flee the country if granted bail.

Chibaya stated that Mohammed could have investments abroad worth much more than what he invested in Zimbabwe and could flee. He said the police were still working with Interpol to determine whether Mohammed has no pending international criminal matters abroad.

The bail proceedings are set to continue today at 11.15am. Nhau/Indaba