Huge blow for Saviour Kasukuwere as Mashonaland Central province shuts door on him

CHARITY begins at home, but for Mr Saviour Kasukuwere it seems to reside on social media and nowhere else.

It is for that reason that he is seemingly not welcome in Mt Darwin, his home area where villagers recently took up placards, demonstrating against his return.

A return some found rather comical, as they asked, how could a person who could not serve his backyard with approximately 30 000 people aspire to be the president of a country of more than 16 million.

The adage once beaten twice shy now aptly summarises how the people of Mt Darwin and Mashonaland Central province at large now view the fugitive former Cabinet Minister, who has a couple of court cases hanging over his head.

In interviews, the people of Mt Darwin described Mr Kasukuwere, their former MP as a cunning person who wants to use the tribal card to shore up his political name.

There is a reason why the villagers are less welcome, Mr Kasukuwere’s mansion, just a few metres from the road that leads to Karanda Mission Hospital, seems obscene around the rondavels and modest buildings in the area.

“He never cared about us when he was an MP, I don’t see him caring about us if his fantasy of becoming a president comes true,” said a young man who lives by vending at Mt Darwin Growth Point.

Despite having been Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, youths in his area are jobless, there is no empowerment that was brought by Mr Kasukuwere.

Last week was a rude awakening for Mr Kasukuwere as people from his backyard openly denounced him.

The Mashonaland Central provincial youth league chairman, Cde Emmerson Raradza and his executive picketed in the small town branding Mr Kasukuwere ‘lord of lies and the master of madness.’

They said despite the vile lies told by the duo of Mr Kasukuwere and his sidekick in the province Mr Godfrey Tsenengamu that they have support from the area, people are solely behind Zanu-PF and the candidature of President Mnangagwa.

“We are against the devices by the opposition to dismantle the energy of the masses and the efforts of the President of Zimbabwe of fostering economic development with lies, who is Kasukuwere here? A person with only six MPs in the whole country,” said Zanu- PF national youth political commissar Tsungai Makumbe.

Zanu- PF has 18 out of 18 legislators in Mashonaland Central province cementing its status as the people’s choice.

Our crew got in touch with Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central provincial vice chairperson Cde Christopher Magomo who was flanked by all Mt Darwin aspiring legislators.

“The march against Kasukuwere was done after he made remarks claiming that he has Mashonaland Central province in his pocket. Everyone is disowning him here, people are happy with the New Dispensation and its entire leadership,” he said.

Village head, Mrs Rufaro Jaji of Jaji Village in Ward 24 said the area never benefited anything during the stint of Mr Kasukuwere as their legislator.

“It was all promises during his tenure without any positive results. We were promised a mere borehole more than a decade ago, but nothing has been done up to now.

“In October water woes are common here and we walk long distances in search of the precious liquid,” she said.

A youth, Mr Tinashe Gatsi of neighbouring Yemurai village said Mr Kasukuwere never uplifted people from his area.

“When he was appointed Minister, we thought it was our time to be uplifted but only his family members benefited. Youths from Mt Darwin South have no jobs and are surviving as artisanal miners,” he said.

Another villager, Mrs Gamuchirai Dzeheke, said their constituency was one of the most underdeveloped as they lack basics.

Mrs Matipaishe Munoti said Mr Kasukuwere, despite his once former status failed even to initiate the upgrading of the only secondary school in the area to have A-level.

“When our children pass O-level we are stuck between a hard surface and a rock as the school has no A-level.

“They are forced to travel to Mt Darwin town for A-level.

Imagine us poverty-stricken villagers having to fork out bus fare daily,” she said.

Mr Munashe Mutondo also had no kind words for Mr Kasukuwere whom he said had nothing to offer as he failed to do so during his time in Government.

Mr Kasukuwere has two arrest warrants hanging over his head that were issued way before he expressed his intentions to contest for the presidency with police keen to question him.

In interviews with the South African media where he is based, Kasukuwere has been desperately trying to paint a picture of persecution by the Zimbabwe Government and alleging that he feared arrest on political grounds once he lands in the country to campaign ahead of the elections.

However, information has it that a warrant of arrest was issued on January 18, 2019 by retired Harare magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya after Kasukuwere, a former Cabinet minister and key G40 figure in the late President Robert Mugabe’s Government, failed to appear for trial on four counts of criminal abuse of office.

Another was issued after Mr Kasukuwere failed to resubmit his passport to the Clerk of Court during the agreed period.

The disgraced former Cabinet minister has been making feeble attempts to play the persecution card as he has been portraying his charges as politically motivated, but the fact of the matter is that he was issued with warrants of arrest after he skipped court proceedings and after he proved untrustworthy.

— Chronicle