Kasukuwere Denies Reports Of Walter Mzembi’s Death

 

Self-exiled former ZANU‑PF Politburo member Saviour Kasukuwere has dismissed claims that Walter Mzembi has died.

Mzembi, a former influential ZANU‑PF politician, served as Minister of Tourism and later Minister of Foreign Affairs under Robert Mugabe.

Posting on X on Saturday, 10 January 2025, Kasukuwere said Mzembi is well and alive, describing the reports of his death as fake news and the work of political criminals. He said:

“Fake News! Fmr Minister Walter Mzembi is well and alive. Walter is unjustly detained, and his continued incarceration is vindictive and unconstitutional. The news of his purported demise is fake news and the work of political criminals.”

Mzembi was arrested in June 2025 in Harare by the Zimbabwe Anti‑Corruption Commission (ZACC) over outstanding warrants linked to his 2018 criminal abuse of office trial, which had stalled after he went into exile.

He was accused of misappropriating public property, including televisions and other equipment procured for the 2010 FIFA World Cup fan parks.

In 2018, Mzembi, then Tourism Minister, was charged with criminal abuse of office. The allegations centred on converting public property worth millions for personal use.

Following the charges, he left Zimbabwe, allegedly for cancer treatment in South Africa, and later lived in Zambia, which caused the trial to stall and led to the issuance of multiple arrest warrants.

Mzembi returned to Zimbabwe in June 2025 and reportedly met President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House.

Shortly after, he was arrested in Harare by ZACC and brought before the Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors revealed three outstanding arrest warrants.

He was denied bail and has remained in remand prison since his arrest six months ago.