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Senior Reporter
Two senior zanu-pf Youth League executives have been accused of stealing one tonne of sugar donated by a local company towards President Mugabe’s 90th birthday celebrations last month.
The company donated two tonnes of sugar for the 21st February Movement celebrations to mark the President’s birthday at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera, but only one tonne was accounted for.

Politburo member Cde Edison Chakanyuka, who is the deputy secretary for the Youth League, and a Central Committee member, Cde Innocent Hamandishe, the secretary for Indigenisation in the Youth League; and two other party officials allegedly stole the sugar from the party’s headquarters in Harare.

The sugar was donated through the Youth League, headed by Cde Absolom Sikhosana, and the celebrations’ management committee.
Cde Sikhosana said the matter was an internal issue.

“I don’t know anything about that,” he said. “Where did you get that from? Those are internal matters. I have no comment.”
But a source said: “Chakanyuka was given responsibility to look after the sugar at the party headquarters. He then assigned Hamandishe, Edmore Samambwa, the Midlands Provincial Youth League chairperson, and Innocent Makuyana, who is deputy secretary for Lands in the Youth League, to take one tonne of sugar to their cars.

“It is not known where they took the sugar to. But (Cde) Sikhosana had to declare one tonne to President Mugabe because he did not want him to know that some people had stolen his sugar.”

Another source added: “Security personnel at the party have implicated the four.”