The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani : News Editor
A MUTARE con-artist, who allegedly caused friction among politicians and senior Government officials in Manicaland by circulating fake incriminating correspondence among the bigwigs using forged signatures and letterheads, has been arrested.
Peter Zvoutete alias Mugadza (35)’s luck ran out after he was trapped by one of his victims on Wednesday morning and was immediately whisked away by detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department.
Forgery charges have since been levelled against Zvoutete who had letterheads of Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Manicaland Provincial Medical Director and Mutare Mayor’s offices among other offices.
When detectives visited his house at Number 17, Mopani, Morningside, they discovered that he was in possession of contact details of several prominent people in the society including Cabinet ministers.
Police said investigations were in progress to find out Zvoutete’s actual motives.
Highly placed police sources said, at times, the suspect phoned people masquerading as Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr John Mangudya, former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr Gideon Gono, Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Samuel Undenge and Mines and Mining Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Francis Gudyanga.
He is alleged to have caused conflict among politicians in Manicaland by creating fictitious documents whereby forged signatures would be appended on them. The documents would be on photocopied letterheads.
Investigations by this paper showed that Zvoutete frequented the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services in Mutare where he asked for permission to go through the newspapers on the pretext that he wanted to keep abreast with current affairs.
When The Manica Post caught up with him after being trapped by Cde Mandi Chimene on Wednesday morning, he explained his modus operandi.
“I would follow up on what would have been reported in the media and come up with fake documents that I would have them typed at various shops in Mutare.
“I would then insert specimens of letterheads and signatures that I had obtained from official documents with nothing to do with the subject I would have written about and then photocopy them. I would circulate the photocopied papers among senior politicians,” he said.
Zvoutete pleaded for forgiveness from Cde Chimene after admitting to forging the documents in the presence of staff members from her offices, law enforcement agents and Dangamvura-Chikanga Member of National Assembly, Cde Isau Mupfumi.
“Please forgive me, I admit what I did was wrong,” he pleaded before being whisked away by detectives.
Among his victims are Cdes Chimene, Mupfumi, Irene Zindi, Nyasha Chikwinya, Misheck Mugadza and Councillor Tatenda Nhamarare.
Cde Zindi was this week quoted in the media saying he was aware of Cde Mupfumi’s plot to oust her as the Member of National Assembly for Mutasa South and replace her with Cde Mugadza.
However, it emerged that Zvoutete was the source of the conflict.
In one of the forged documents, which he produced and purported to have been written by Cllr Nhamarare, he alleged that Cde Mupfumi was interfering with council business.
In a memorandum dated February 18, 2016 and directed to Ministry (sic) of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing (Hon Kasukuwere), he wrote: “On behalf of Councillors and management, I have written this memorandum to inform you that the above-mentioned person (Mupfumi) is interfering in City Council business. Recently he hired people most of them touts pretending to be residents of his constituency to demonstrate against us as well as opening a docket to police without enough evidence and not following proper procedures. He is now acting as if he is the one who appointed us into office.
However we have discovered that he has debt (sic) amounting to $84 000 he owes the council hence he wants everyone fired and bring his people to cover the debt and more so he wants council land for free.
Besides that he defied government and council on relocation of vendors who operates (sic) on land he illegally occupy in Central Business District.
“We are therefore asking your office to take legal action against him and remind him to concentrate on his duties in his constituency as Member of Parliament.”
The memorandum had a photocopied Cllr Nhamarare’s signature.
In one of the documents he purported to be Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission acting secretary, Mr S Pondo who was directing ZACC Chairman Mr Whabira to investigate Cde Chimene.
The document dated August 4, 2016 and on a photocopied Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission reads: “My office has received reports that the above-mentioned person (Chimene) is abusing her powers in capacity (sic) as minister. She is refusing to pay Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company after she was supplied fertiliser (sic) for agriculture purpose and she also instructed Nayee Brothers hardware to distribute building materials (sic) to district development fund and the materials (sic) were used to construct a bridge in Buhera promising (sic) to pay herself (sic) on behalf (sic), but now she is refusing to payback $429 debt. Besides that she is taking advantage as (sic) provincial lands committee chairperson to grab many farms as she can and now she is a multiple farm owner in the province.”
Cde Chimene urged police to get to the bottom of the matter.
“People like Zvoutete have been causing unnecessary tension in the province by spreading falsehoods. He would approach different people especially politicians and feed them with falsehoods. This created a lot of mistrust among us.
“I want to urge people to guard against being misused by some unruly elements, whether it is for financial gains or not,” she said.
