Zimbabwean fugitive Mwale posted to embassy in Zambia

By Violet Gonda
28 June 2007

It has emerged that Joseph Mwale, the notorious CIO agent who has been on the run from law since 2000 for his alleged role in the murder of two MDC activists, is working at the Zimbabwe embassy in Lusaka. According to The Zimbabwe Times website: “Mwale’s posting in Lusaka effectively scuttles efforts to bring the much feared intelligence operative to book for the alleged gruesome murder of Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya.”

This is despite the Attorney General’s office ordering the immediate arrest of Mwale, for the assassination of the two MDC activists who were brutally murdered while campaigning for MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai during the 2000 Parliamentary elections.

Defence Lawyer Sheila Jarvis said: “If he is in fact in Zambia, I would assume the Zambians are either totally unaware of the story and unaware of the identity of Mwale. In other words he must have been given a new identity.” She said the African Union Charter condemns political assassination in any form and impunity in any way. Jarvis added: “I can’t imagine that the Zambian government would be happy with a situation where they were seen to be harbouring somebody accused of political assassinations.”

Chiminya was opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s election agent whilst Mabika was a young opposition supporter. The two were set on fire after being beaten with iron bars and other weapons at Murambinda, Buhera North on April 15 2000. Defence lawyers say the police had been present during the assassinations and despite several attempts to bring the principle offender Mwale to court the police have made no effort and in fact allowed him to roam free. The facts regarding the killings were widely reported but nothing has ever been done to bring Mwale to book, despite the strong evidence against him. He was known to be an official in the President’s office.

Part of a legal document written by Jarvis to the Attorney General’s Office in 2006 read: “Surely using a state-issued AK rifle to intercept his victims and bludgeon them unconscious before burning them alive was aggravating? Yet it is known he was promoted after the killings, and reportedly put in charge of the President’s Office for Manicaland Province.”

According to newspaper reports Levison Chikafu, a senior officer in the AG’s office in Manicaland, ordered the police to present Mwale’s docket to their offices on or before 6 October 2006 but have not received a progress report to date. It’s reported the docket disappeared from the police station. The opposition and some Mutare residents say they used to see Mwale around ZANU PF offices in Mutare, even though there was a warrant for his arrest.

Lawyers say there cannot not be a trial until Mwale is apprehended and is brought to court with the other two suspects who were granted bail. Mwale has led a very busy life since 2000 including helping police officers and war veterans raid and invade Charleswood farm owned by opposition official Roy Bennett.