Zimbabwe Court Acquits Former Tourism Minister Mzembi of Abuse of Office

Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi has been acquitted on charges of abusing his office after the High Court ruled that the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The case arose from allegations that Mzembi unlawfully donated public-viewing television screens to churches during his tenure as Tourism minister.

In his defence, Mzembi argued that the distribution of the television sets was part of a broader government strategy approved at the highest level to revive Zimbabwe's tourism sector after the 2008 political crisis. He told the court the initiative originated during preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with government establishing fan parks to unite the country before later repurposing the equipment to support religious tourism.

Mzembi maintained that the programme was implemented with the knowledge and backing of senior government officials under the Government of National Unity and involved several ministries and state institutions.

A finance director in the Ministry testified that it was essential for the State to call the permanent secretary, whose evidence did not assist the State to prove its case. The judge criticised the investigating officer, saying he had not properly carried out investigations into the matter.

Evidence from a senior overseer with PHD Ministries did not incriminate Mzembi. The judge further noted that Mzembi made a mistake to aver a donation when in fact there was never a donation. "The State has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The accused is found not guilty and acquitted," the ruling stated. Mzembi had been facing charges of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer in terms of Section 174(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. He also argued that the strategy helped revive tourism performance, with tourist arrivals and revenues significantly improving by the time he left office in 2017.