ONE of Robert Mugabe's most trusted senior ministers has been secretly visiting Cape Town to fund the construction of a spectacular seaside mansion, fuelling speculation that he is actually over seeing the palace on behalf of the Zimbabwean president. Christopher Kuruneri, promoted to finance minister during Mugabe's Cabinet reshuffle last month, has been paying for the multimillion-rand project in cash despite strict rules in Zimbabwe that limit the export of foreign exchange. Several sources close to the project say its cost is about R30-million. Kuruneri has strenuously denied breaking Zimbabwe's foreign exchange rules. He said this week that the house was his and that he was not acting on behalf of anyone else.
| "Yeah. I'm the finance minister now. I got lotsa money!" |
At the time of the reshuffle on February 9, Mugabe announced that Kuruneri (until then deputy finance minister) would "spearhead" the country's economic recovery.
| "Dat's right! We're recoverin' in Cape Town." |
Since Kuruneri's promotion, several Zimbabwean businessmen have been arrested on charges of "externalising" foreign currency. Two of them, James Makamba and Cecil Muderede, are still awaiting trial. This week, several financial institutions were shut down on suspicion of illegally exporting currency from Zimbabwe, among other charges. Kuruneri has been paying monthly visits to Venture Projects & Associates, the company that is building the Llandudno mansion. Venture Projects is the trading name of C J H Joint Venture, a close corporation established in 1991 by Chris Hayman and Brian John Gelling. Hayman said this week that the company's main business was project-managing the construction of residential properties. He confirmed that Kuruneri was a client but refused to discuss their business relationship. Information registered with public bodies confirms that Kuruneri has bought two properties in Llandudno and is funding the construction of a mansion on one of them.
| One for Bob, one for Grace? Isn't that romantic! |
Information at the Deeds Office in Cape Town states that the owner of 17 Apostle Road and 38 Sunset Avenue is Choice Decisions 113 (Pty) Ltd, a so-called "off-the-shelf company". According to information lodged with the Department of Trade and Industry, Christopher Tichaona Kuruneri is the sole director of Choice Decisions. Just over a year later, on April 22 2002, Choice Decisions bought 38 Sunset Avenue for R2.7-million. Work on the house, designed by Cape Town architect Stephen J Forster, began in the middle of last year. Forster said his brief was to build a three-storey, eight-bedroom house with a floor space of 1 000m'. The house will have eight bathrooms and a dining room that can host 20 people. It will have a triple garage and provision for two lift shafts. Forster said he expected the house to be completed in November.
| Bob's kinda creaky getting up and down the stairs by now... |
A source close to Hayman's company said this week that Hayman's services to Kuruneri included the safekeeping of large amounts of US dollars. "There are people in the company who don't like what's going on," the source said. "Mr Kuruneri comes in with little warning, gives Chris [Hayman] cash to pay the contractors, inspects his properties and then flies back to Harare. |