HARARE – Former Foreign Affairs minister Walter Mzembi’s attempt to return to Zimbabwean politics has suffered a major setback, with a Harare magistrate revoking his bail and ordering him back to prison. This follows his arrest upon his surprise return to the country, after years spent in self-imposed exile.
The 61-year-old Mzembi was on trial for criminal abuse of office and theft of trust property in 2018 when he left the country, reportedly to seek medical attention in South Africa. His failure to attend trial led to three outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Contrary to widespread media reports, former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi – who also served as Tourism minister prior to that under the late ex-president Robert Mugabe – did not meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa when he surprisingly returned home on Wednesday after leaving the country in 2018 under a cloud of corruption charges.
Mzembi and many other senior former Zanu PF and government officials, including fellow former ministers Jonathan Moyo, Saviour Kasukuwere and Patrick Zhuwao who were loyal to Mugabe, left or stayed out of the country during the November 2017 historic coup which brought Mnangagwa to power.
Mzembi and Kasukuwere then made failed bids to return home as they were hit with corruption charges in a politically charged environment, forcing them out again.
Mzembi tried to return again this week, but after failing to meet Mnangagwa on Wednesday, he was arrested yesterday on corruption charges dating back to 2018.
He will appear in court anytime.
The former minister was closely aligned with exiled former ministers Saviour Kasukuwere, Jonathan Moyo, and Patrick Zhuwao—key members of Mugabe’s inner circle who were pushed out during the coup. Mzembi served as campaign manager for Kasukuwere in the 2023 general elections, in which Kasukuwere attempted to challenge Mnangagwa for the presidency. The Zimbabwean courts, however, barred his candidacy.
His trial is now set to resume on July 1, with him coming from prison.
Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei heard from Mzembi’s legal team led by Killian Mandiki, who argued that the former minister was being treated for cancer and had decided to return after his health improved.
According to Mandiki, Mzembi later relocated to Zambia in early 2024 after he was unable to continue his treatment in South Africa due to travel documentation issues. Upon arrival in Zambia, his condition had reportedly deteriorated significantly. He was immediately admitted to hospital, placed on oxygen support, and closely monitored for over 10 days. Medical records substantiating his condition were submitted to the court as part of his defence.
However, Ndirowei was unconvinced, stating that Mzembi was not so sick that he could not attend trial.
He ruled: “There is a gap as to what transpired in his medical report. The attached medical report would have worked if he had availed himself in 2020 not in 2025.
“It has not been proven that for all these years he was bed ridden such that he could not travel to Zimbabwe to cancel his warrants of arrest.
“His warrants of arrest are hereby confirmed, bail is revocked. The accused is hereby committed to prison pending trial.”
The magistrate also noted that Mzembi was the campaign manager for presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere, who announced his canpaign from his South Africa exile in 2023 before he was barred from standing by a court.
The charges against Mzembi stem from the disposal of televisions worth US$2 million while he was tourism minister.
Mzembi was initially arrested in January 2018 and later released on bail. He faced accusations of converting public property for personal use, including 16 television sets worth US$800,000, which had been procured for public viewing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The televisions were allegedly donated to churches, including Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries and Emmanuel Makandiwa’s United Family International Church.
He also faces allegations of misappropriating US$1.6 million meant for the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, which was jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in Victoria Falls. The National Prosecuting Authority previously recovered US$261,386 of the missing funds and had sought Interpol’s help for Mzembi’s extradition in 2019 after he absconded trial.
His warrant of arrest was issued in September 2019 after he failed to appear for trial, leading to formal proceedings being set for later that month. Despite repeated calls to return and clear his name, Mzembi remained in self-imposed exile, primarily in South Africa and Zambia.
Mzembi’s legal troubles are now back in full motion, and it remains to be seen whether he will face trial this time or seek another way to escape prosecution. His lawyer at the time of the initial charges was Job Sikhala, a prominent opposition figure and close relative.
This latest development reignites debate over political retribution, the fairness of the justice system, and the continued fallout from the 2017 power transition that continues to shape Zimbabwe’s political landscape.
Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi – who ended his rising political career under the late former president Robert Mugabe as Foreign Affairs minister – has been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for a case dating back to 2018.
Mzembi returned home from Zambia three days ago in a bid to fix unresolved political issues with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government after the 2017 coup fallout.
After surprisingly arriving in Harare to fix his proper return home and subsequently failing to meet Mnangagwa, Mzembi, who was former minister and Zanu PF political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere’s campaign manager during 2023 general elections, was left exposed and vulnerable.
The now South African-based Kasukuwere, working with Mzembi then, tried to challenge Mnangagwa in 2023, but was barred from the presidential election.
Kasukuwere, Mzembi and others, including Jonathan Moyo, who were Mugabe allies fighting Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF faction over the ruling party’s contentious succession issue, escaped the coup in 2017.
Kasukuwere returned home in 2018, but left after failing to secure his stay, leading to his departure again. While briefly home, he was arrested for skipping the border and appeared in court. He was also charged with four counts of criminal abuse of office.
Without political protection for Mzembi, Zacc moved in on him yesterday and revived the 2018 corruption case, starting with his warrant of arrest. Mzembi was first arrested on 5 January 2018 and appeared in court the next day where he was granted bail.
Following his corruption case in 2018 and subsequent court appearances, Mzembi was issued with a warrant in 2019 for skipping trial where he was accused of converting televisions worth close to US$1 million, bought for fan parks during the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa, to his own use.
Mzembi was accused of donating 16 television sets worth US$800 000 to churches, including the Walter Magaya-led Prophetic Healing and Deliverance ministry and Emmanuel Makandiwa’s United Family International Church, among others.
To avoid trial, Mzembi left the country in 2018, a year after the 2017 coup that brought Mnangagwa to power after ousting Mugabe, facing further allegations, including misappropriating US$1.6 million meant for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) 2013.
The National Prosecuting Authority gave notice at the time that it would seek Interpol’s help to secure his extradition.When he left in 2018, Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa had set September 26 and 29 then as dates for the commencement of trial.
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