HARARE
–
Former
foreign
affairs
minister
Walter
Mzembi
was
arrested
on
Friday
and
appeared
in
court
on
Saturday
as
prosecutors
revealed
he
had
three
outstanding
arrest
warrants.
Mzembi
will
spend
the
weekend
in
jail
after
magistrate
Donald
Ndirowei
postponed
the
matter
to
Monday
when
the
former
foreign
affairs
minister
will
attempt
to
explain
away
his
absence
which
stalled
his
criminal
abuse
of
office
trial
in
2018.
His
lawyer
Killian
Mandike
submitted
medical
documents
which
he
said
will
prove
that
Mzembi
did
not
wilfully
default,
but
was
in
fact
undergoing
treatment
in
South
Africa.
Ndirowei
said
there
was
no
time
to
hear
arguments
over
the
default,
postponing
the
inquiry
to
Monday.
The
former
Masvingo
South
MP,
who
lost
his
ministerial
job
after
a
military
coup
that
ousted
the
late
Robert
Mugabe,
is
believed
to
have
returned
to
Zimbabwe
on
Tuesday
last
week
from
Zambia,
where
he
was
self-exiled.
On
Wednesday,
Mzembi
made
efforts
to
see
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
but
was
rebuffed
even
after
arriving
at
State
House,
ZimLive
understands.
He
returned
to
Zambia,
returning
to
the
country
on
Friday
after
speaking
to
Mnangagwa
by
phone,
a
source
said.
Mzembi
is
confident
he
will
win
the
court’s
favour
over
the
administrative
warrants,
amid
indications
Zanu
PF
officials
in
Masvingo
have
been
heavily
lobbying
Mnangagwa
to
allow
him
to
return
to
the
fold.
Mzembi
had
claimed
political
persecution
over
his
arrest
which
followed
his
instructions,
as
tourism
minister,
to
the
Zimbabwe
Tourism
Authority
to
buy
televisions
for
fan
parks
during
the
2010
FIFA
World
Cup
hosted
by
South
Africa.
At
the
end
of
the
World
Cup,
Mzembi
donated
the
televisions
to
the
United
Family
International
Church,
founded
by
prosperity
gospel
preacher
Emmanuel
Makandiwa.
Mzembi’s
trial
will
be
closely
watched
by
other
former
Mugabe
allies
who
are
scattered
around
the
world
fearing
politically-motivated
arrests
as
Mnangagwa
seeks
to
consolidate
control
over
his
fractious
Zanu
PF
party.