Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi and his wife Barbara Mzembi have been accused of abusing US$80 000 which they got from Government to host the Miss Tourism beauty pageant. Mzembi and his wife are believed to be hiding at the Cuban embassy in Harare.
The allegations were made by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) CEO Karikoga Kaseke who explained to The Herald the reason behind the withdrawal of the Miss Tourism licence from Mzembi’s wife Barbara. Kaseke said that Barbara should have raised the funds herself and not used her husband’s influence to access Government funds. Said Kaseke:
Mzembi’s wife flouted the terms of the agreement, one of whose terms was to mobilise resources for the event and make sure the corporate world got involved and made the event successful outside of government; which was the reason why we licence it out… The fact that the Mzembi’s themselves admitted that they got such a great amount of money from government for what should in essence be a private event for which they ought to have fundraised boggles the mind and it is not fair. People should not get preferential corrupt privileges because they know people in power. It is something the new dispensation should do away with.
More: Herald