Former Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s life could be in danger amid reports that intruders, including suspected state security officials, were constantly being intercepted at her Beatrice Farm.
BY OUR STAFF
Three men were caught in the early hours of Friday morning, around 3am. One of them was reported to be a police officer. Two days earlier another man who reportedly appeared mentally unstable was also nabbed at the farm. According to well-placed sources, the three were taken to Beatrice police station where one of them was identified as a police officer stationed at Harare Central Police Station.
Efforts to get confirmation of the incident from Beatrice police station were fruitless yesterday.
“The three were intercepted at 3am on Friday. They were taken to Beatrice Police Station where one of them revealed that he was a police officer stationed at the Harare Central Police Station. They claimed that they were lost, but did not reveal where they were coming from or where they were going,” said a top Mujuru associate.
Mujuru confirmed the development, but refused to shed more light saying this happened while she was away. “I was in Harare,” Mujuru said.
Asked if she did not fear for her life, Mujuru said: “That is for you the people to judge.” The police officer is said to have claimed to the Beatrice police that he took a wrong turn and ended up at Mujuru’s farm instead of turning in the nearby Watyoka area, the source said.
On Wednesday, another man was caught at the farm. The suspect allegedly pretended to be insane and uttered a lot of issues which people failed to make head and tail of. The sources said the man claimed to be Mujuru’s lover. Although he had nothing on him, the man again claimed he wanted to drop some letters from Sadc. He was also handed over to Beatrice police. Last month, six people, two of them suspected to be state intelligence officers, were allegedly caught snooping at Mujuru’s Beatrice farm. The intruders were reportedly driving in a private vehicle and were caught gathering information on the farm.
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They claimed to be relatives of the Mujuru family, but demonstrated they did not have knowledge of the Mujuru family at all when quizzed by security personnel. They were later detained at Beatrice Police Station. The source said they suspected a plot against the former VP. He said these state agents could be up to planting something that could be used against Mujuru, including getting her arrested.
Mujuru was kicked out of government in December last year and was eventually fired from the party last month for allegedly plotting to oust President Robert Mugabe.
None of the many allegations against her have been proven despite police having been tasked to investigate. A report by the Zanu PF disciplinary committee led by Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko claimed Mujuru and her late husband General Solomon Mujuru had been plotting to kill Mugabe since 2004.
General Mujuru died under mysterious circumstances at the same farm in 2011.
“We cannot rule out foul play. They could be plotting to kill her or even plant firearms so that they can charge her of treason. The rate at which these security details are found trespassing at the farm is worrying,” the source said. Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said she was not aware of the incident.
Meanwhile, Dewa Mavhinga, southern Africa senior researcher for Human Rights Watch said the continuous cases of trespassing at Mujuru’s farm were an act of harassment to the embattled former VP.
“The use of elements within the security forces including police officers and CIO agents to constantly harass and persecute Mai Mujuru is a violation of our Constitution. Security forces are there to provide protection to all citizens and are barred from involvement in partisan politics. The path to democratic reforms requires key state institutions to be truly impartial, independent and non-partisan,” he said.
Mujuru is allegedly linked to a new political outfit calling itself the “Original and Genuine” Zanu PF or simply People First. The party is expected to challenge Mugabe in the 2018 elections and analysts said it would not be surprising if she is framed and taken off the political landscape before the polls.
