Daily News editor & reporter briefly arrested over Chombo story

By Tichaona Sibanda
2 December 2011

Daily News reporter Xolisani Ncube was picked up by police from the newspaper’s offices in central Harare on Friday, over a story he wrote in November depicting how Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo bragged about his wealth.

Editor Stanley Gama was also summoned by police who left a message for him to report to Harare Central Police Station. Lawyer Alec Muchadehama told SW Radio Africa the two scribes were arrested, interrogated and charged with criminal defamation.

The journalists spent almost 10 hours at the police station before they were released. Muchadehama said the police wanted to know from his clients the source of their information. The Daily News says when Chombo bragged about his wealth, their reporter captured his utterances on a recorder.

The paper said it also cannot be held liable for publishing a list of Chombo’s assets because they are on public record from his divorce case, which is before a High court Judge.

Ray Matikinye, the paper’s assistant editor, confirmed that Ncube was picked up from their offices in the morning. ‘We asked the officers to give us 10 minutes to arrange for a lawyer to accompany Ncube to the police but their refused. They told us our legal representatives would have to follow them,’ Matikinye said.

Apparently Ncube’s detention took place in front of his mother, who had visited him at the paper’s offices. He was new to journalism as he had only graduated from the Mass Communications department at the Harare polytechnic this year.

In his article on Chombo, Ncube described how the Minister had showed off during a meeting with a team representing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at his Makombe Building offices. The Foundation recently gave $5million to Zimbabwe for development. The money was part of a $60 million package to be shared between Zimbabwe, Malawi and Angola, to improve the livelihoods of people living in poverty.

He bragged about his American car, army of household staff and lighting that can brighten up a whole street, telling the delegation: ‘I have two maids in the house and two guys outside. I have 10 lights on the two sides of the road because I reside at the corner. Even the side that covers the road area is much clearer. Not street lights but our own lights. I can provide lighting much better and cheaper because I have a guy who is employed full-time responsible for that,’ Chombo is quoted as saying.

Chombo’s actions against the reporter have been condemned by the assistant editor who said: ‘I saw him (Ncube) talking to his mother in the foyer and that’s when he told me that the other gentlemen there were from the police and wanted to take him to the station. Immediately I tried to raise Gama on his phone but I couldn’t get through, though we have information he’s at the police station now.’

The police were acting on instructions from Chombo who claimed that the paper criminally defamed him when it published the story.

‘What we published about Chombo’s assets is public information revealed in his wife Marian’s divorce court papers, which the Minister is disputing. We published this story on 10th November and six days later we gave the Minister an opportunity to give us his side of the story, which he did. So how did we criminally defame Chombo when we interviewed him putting the record straight?’ asked Matikinye.

Chombo’s massive wealth was brought to the fore by his estranged wife in a messy divorce case that is still before the courts. His lawyers asked the court to gag the media from further revealing details of the divorce case. The court is still to rule on the gag request.

List of Chombo’s assets as published by various media.
4 Toyota Land Cruisers,
3 Mercedes Benzes
l Mahindra
2 Nissan Wolfs, 1 Toyota Vigo, 1 Mazda BT-50, 1 Bus 1 Nissan Hard body 1 Toyota Hilux
Mrs Chombo was also claiming other properties that included:

2 Glen View houses
2 flats in Queensdale,
A property in Katanga Township
Stand Number 1037 Mount Pleasant Heights
4 Norton business stands
3 Chinhoyi business stands,
4 Banket business stands,
1 commercial stand in Epworth,
2 residential stands in Chirundu
4 commercial stands in Kariba
1 stand in Ruwa
1 stand in Chinhoyi,
2 stands in Mutare
2 stands in Binga.
4 stands in Victoria Falls
1 stand in Zvimba Rural
Chitungwiza (two residential and two commercial stands)
Beitbridge (four stands),
20 stands in Crow Hill, Borrowdale
10 stands in Glen Lorne,
2 flats at Eastview Gardens (B319 and B320)
1 flat at San Sebastian Flats in the Avenues, Harare
Number 79 West Road, Avondale.
Greendale house
Number 36 Cleveland Road, Milton Park
Number 135 Port Road, Norton,
2 Bulawayo houses.
Number 18 Cuba Rd, Mount Pleasant
Number 45 Basset Crescent, Alexandra Park,
2 Chegutu houses
1 Glen Lorne house (Harare)
2 houses (Victoria Falls).
1 Stand along Simon Mazorodze Road,
Norton (one stand)
Avondale (two stands)
365 Beverly House (one stand)
Bulawayo (three stands),
Mica Point Kariba (one stand).

Other properties named also include, cattle at Darton Farm, shared chicken runs, pigsties, a shop, grinding mill, house, mills, tractors, lorries, six trucks, five of which are non-runners, four trailers (three non-runners) and one truck. Marian also revealed that the Minister has shares in 10 companies including Dickest, Hamdinger, Landberry and Track in Security Company.
She further revealed that Chombo has a stake in Mvurwi Mine, hunting safari lodges in Chiredzi, Hwange, Magunje and Chirundu as well as properties in South Africa.

This is what they have agreed in court to share:

1 Norton stand
4 Queensdale flats,
1 flat on Mutare Road,
1stand in Kariba,
2 Glen View house,
1 Ruwa stand,
2 stands in Chinhoyi
Allan Grange Farm.
1bus,
6 truck horses,
three trailers,
a tanker,
8-tonne truck,
1 Land Cruiser
1Mercedes-Benz,
1 twin-cab Hardbody,
1 Nissan Wolf
2 Shawasha Hills stands,
1 Ruwa plot and
1Alexandra Park house.
These do not include government vehicles and other shares which the minister has refused to hand over saying they are undividable.