ZIMBABWE — Chivhu…The mansion built early 2000 by the secretary turned–First Lady Grace Mugabe is now a white elephant amid revelations that some destitute members of the community have already checked in to seek unsanctioned refuge.

 

At the inception of the construction of the multi storey Chivhu mansion, the former deputy director general of the dreaded spy agent the central intelligence organisation (CIO) Lovemore Mukandi was used as front by the first lady Grace Mugabe to engage a contractor who was eventually elbowed out on flimsy grounds of not having done his works consistently with the provisions of the contract.

 

The contractor, according to information at hand still has unresolved grievances with the first family but cannot raise their voices for the fear of victimisation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace comes from Chivhu’s Madamombe area and reports say she had parcelled out the mansion to her blood brother identified as Simbarashe Marufu who has since declined the offer on the grounds that he does not have enough time to regularly pay inspectoral visits there as he has business interests in Harare.

 

Lovemore Mukandi fled the country to Canada after having looted the War Victims’ fund through exaggerated claims of his alleged deformities.

 

Vice president Amai Mujuru had also filed an unreasonable claim but reimbursed the funds following the media outcry over the scam.

 

“The Chivhu community is now worried that the deserted property is now harbouring thieves as the current occupants have dubious characters and are not friendly at all once you try to engage in a conversation with them,” a villager who lives close to the mansion said.

 

“The manner that Grace deserted her property is in the same manner that her husband Robert Matibili has ignored the socio-economic and political plight of the people of Zimbabwe,” he added.

 

Efforts to get a comment from Mugabe’s press officer Lawrence Kamwi were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.

 

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