The Financial Gazette

Shame Makoshori, Chief Business Reporter 
THE Presidency, disturbed by reports of possible conflict of interest in the handling of a friendly match between Zimbabwe and Brazil ahead of the month-long 2010 FIFA World Cup staged in South Africa recently, has asked for a detailed report on the trip by the Samba boys, which insiders say targets Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Walter Mzembi.

The Masvingo South legislator is alleged to have exerted his influence to wrest a contract to transport the Brazilian national team from Pathfinder during their brief stay in Zimbabwe last month. The Brazilians beat Zimbabwe by three goals to nil in a pre-World Cup warm-up match in Harare, but went on to lose to Netherlands in the second round of the World Cup to crash out of the tournament. But the logistical arrangements surrounding their tour have caused extensive friction in the tourism industry with many complaining about possible conflict of interest after Mzembi’s Munandi Travel and Tours, ended up as the official transporter of the Samba Boys ahead of luxury transport operator, Pathfinder, which had won the tender to transport the Brazilian team. Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, this week expressed ignorance of the investigation, referring questions to the Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson, Wayne Bvudzijena. Bvudzijena also professed ignorance over the issue. “These are private deals, there is no need for police involvement in private business,” he said.

Government sources, however, said last week the report will largely centre on how Mzembi’s company, Munandi Travel and Tours, ended up as the front-runner at the expense of Pathfinder, which owns some of the finest coaches in the country imported from France last year.  Mzembi, who was the chief organiser of the friendly match which cost government and private partners roped into the deal an arm and a leg in appearance fees, is understood to have struck an arrangement with the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) in order to clinch the contract. 

A match staging agreement between ZIFA and a Swiss domiciled company, Kentaro AG, which was the agent for the Brazilian team, indicates that the local football governing body was responsible for handling the deal. Mzembi, who could not be reached for comment, replaced Francis Nhema, who is now the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Management, as Tourism Minister at the formation of the inclusive government in February last year following a stint as deputy minister of water resources and infrastructure development in President Robert Mugabe’s previous administration. His main challenge is to repair the country’s badly bruised image following years of international isolation and bad publicity. But Mzembi has over the past few months courted controversy after he threatened a journalist from a provincial weekly for allegedly giving information to the effect that bigwigs in Masvingo province had diverted several tonnes of sugar, destined for constituencies in that province, for personal gain.

Last year, Mzembi exchanged harsh words with the war veterans after the fighters of the country’s liberation struggle accused him of betraying ZANU-PF and the former guerilla fighters after he blasted one of their leaders, Joseph Chinotimba, of continuing to tarnish the country’s image through renewed farm disturbances at a time Zimbabwe was trying to attract tourists ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Mzembi’s troubles with colleagues in ZANU-PF started after he accompanied Movement for Democratic Change leader and Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, on his maiden trip to the West and Europe to re-engage a sceptical international community which has been withholding aid and lines of credit from the country despite the consummation of a unity government between President Mugabe and his long-time rival, Tsvangirai.