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Dzikamai Mavhaire

Takunda Maodza Assistant News Editor
Fired Energy and Power Development Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire allegedly falsified General Vitalis Zvinavashe’s death and caused his removal from Bikita Minerals directorship, the late national hero’s son, Richard, has claimed.

Richard — the executor of Gen Zvinavashe’s Estate — further alleges that the 15 percent shareholding his father held in Bikita Minerals disappeared under unclear circumstances soon after his death.

Gen Zvinavashe died on March 10, 2009.

But on March 7, 2009, Minister Mavhaire, who is the Bikita Minerals board chairman, convened a meeting of the board and declared Gen Zvinavashe dead three days before he met his fate.

Gen Zvinavashe’s death certificate shows that he died on March 10, 2009.

On Monday Minister Mavhaire dismissed the disparity as a typographical error.

He said Gen Zvinavashe had no shareholding in Bikita Minerals as alleged by Richard.

Richard claims his father had 15 percent shareholding in Bikita Minerals and got the directorship in the company on the same day with Minister Mavhaire, November 13 2004.

Other directors then were Crawford Nish (Zimbabwean), Clive Lesile Holden (Zimbabwean), Nigel Graham (British), Colin Morgan (British), Philip Vernon Roger (British), Anthony Passaportis (Zimbabwean) and David Mwanza (Zimbabwean).

Documents in The Herald’s possession show that Minister Mavhaire convened a board meeting in March and the gathering declared Gen Zvinavashe dead when in fact he was in hospital receiving medical attention.

Gen Zvinavashe was also noted as “deceased” on the particulars of Bikita Minerals directors on March 7 2009.

“When the late General Vitalis Musungwa Gava Zvinavashe was on his deathbed sometime in March 2009, Bikita Minerals board of directors convened a meeting chaired by Dzikamai Mavhaire and the meeting declared the then hospitalised General certified dead thus on the 7th of March 2009. He was subsequently removed from company directorship on the day of his supposed death the 7th day of March 2009. This is contained in the CR14 filed by JSM Consulting P/L represented herein by J. Mutasa,” reads the document, compiled by investigators appointed by Richard in his capacity as the executor of his father’s estate.

“Unfortunately, on the 10th of March 2009 thus three days after the late General was already declared certified dead, he surely pass on at Manyame Airbase according to the late General’s death certificate, death entry number HMS030661 of 2009. He was attended to by Dr Makoni who certified him dead. The Chaplin General Colonel Nyakudya was the informant.”

It further reads: “On the 5th of July 2010 the executor wrote to the managing director of Bikita Minerals regarding the late General’s shareholding in the company, swiftly two days later the letter was replied by Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire in his capacity as the chairman. In his reply although he was not the addressee, he claimed that the late General was only a director, a position which was never communicated to the executor and family for a period of one year four months since the General died until the executor had to inquire. That response raised a lot of questions than answers hence the investigations.

Richard feels betrayed by Minister Mavhaire whom he says was a family friend.

“All of a sudden, now that the General is no more Dzikamai Mavhaire is the holder of 21 percent shareholding in Bikita Minerals, strange. Suspiciously on the day and date when the late Gen was declared dead thus on 7th of March 2009, Mr Clive Lesie Holden Zimbabwean passport AN617035 of 35 Alveston Ave Borrowdale, Harare resigned from Bikita Minerals directorship. On the same date Mr Philip Vemon Roger Harrison of British passport number 740219691 of 17 Wretham Rd Ashbrittle, Harare also resigned.”

Mr Holden resurfaced as director again in 2012.

Richard wants Minister Mavhaire to explain to the nation why the Bikita Minerals board, which he chairs, declared Gen Zvinavashe dead when he was alive.

“The (read former) Minister of Energy, who is chairman of Bikita Minerals Dzikamai Callisto Mavhaire, who also chaired the board meeting which declared Gen Zvinavashe dead on the 7th of March 2009, three days before he died has to provide the nation with the source of information and copy of the death certificate which assisted them to declare him dead,” he said.

Richard told The Herald that after his father’s death he met Cde Mavhaire and they discussed about the late national hero’s stake in Bikita Minerals.

“After my father’s death, I met Cde Mavhaire and he told me that Gen Zvinavashe had 15 percent shareholding. I am shocked the minister now claims he was a mere director with no shareholding when in fact he knows that it is not true. We are now not allowed to set foot at the company premises. We are being denied further information and papers on my father’s stake in Bikita Minerals,” he said.

Cde Mavhaire is denying the assertions.

“I told him that I knew his father as a director and not as a shareholder. Zvinavashe anga asiri chigamba changu, he was his own man. The boy (Richard) is absolutely ignorant. He needs help. He wants to make a fortune out of my name,” he said.

Cde Mavhaire challenged Richard to produce documents showing that Gen Zvinavashe was a shareholder in Bikita Minerals.

“Zvinavashe was a director. He did not buy even one share. Let him show you the documents that he was a shareholder,” he said.

When asked why Gen Zvinavashe’s death was falsified on March 7, 2009 on Bikita Minerals directorship documents, Minister Mavhaire said: “I think it was a typing error. Can that be an issue?”

Cde Mavhaire declined to reveal his stake in the company.

“Ask Bikita Minerals board about my shareholding,” he said.