HIGHER and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo has accused the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) of breaking into his office to steal government documents.
Moyo said the information used by the anti-graft body to build the ZIMDEF case against him and vilify him in the media was stolen from his office in August last year.
The break-in was reported in the media. Both the ZIMDEF scandal and the break-in cases are before the courts.
“In August last year, the 5th and 6th floors were broken into and computers and documents were stolen. Seven directors, the minister’s office and permanent secretary’s were ransacked,” Moyo said.
He added, “Now that is the information in the Sunday Mail article of December 18 where ZACC is said to have stumbled on that information, how can you stumble into such information. You don’t break into people’s offices, you use warrants.
“Also ZACC wrote to the speaker when the case was already sub judice. That’s unacceptable. Surprisingly, the letter was copied to Vice President Enmerson Mnangagwa, Ignatius Chombo and chief secretary Misheck Sibanda, I wasn’t copied.”
The minister was appearing before the Higher and Tertiary Education Parliament Portfolio Committee chaired by Peter Mataruse on Monday. He came with his co-accused Godfrey Gandawa, several directors and officers.
Moyo who, last year, admitted to diverting $430 000 in ZIMDEF funds to bankroll party activities, said ZACC’s unconventional way of doing investigations has stalled programmes in the ministry.
He said the directors were now afraid of being judged through the media and expressed dismay that the article portrays the picture that he approved scandalous transactions since 2013.
“It has been very difficult for us to discharge our duties, it’s unworkable. Now you find a bureaucracy that is in a crippling state of fear. They refuse to sign obvious things giving me all these reasons,” he said.
“I only joined the ministry on July, 7, 2015. I did not know a lot about ZIMDEF. In fact, I am tempted to say I did not even know that there was ZIMDEF. Now I am failing to deliver on the mandate I was given by President Mugabe.”
The outspoken Moyo pleaded with the committee to lobby parliament to set-up a committee to investigate the “unconstitutional” conduct by ZACC.