One of Zimbabwe’s new ruling party senators has been picked up for questioning on suspicion of diverting scarce wheat to the lucrative parallel market, the state-controlled Herald reported on Wednesday.
Douglas Mombeshora, the Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) senator for the central Makonde-Chinhoyi district was picked up after police last week intercepted four trucks carrying 140 tonnes of his wheat ”to an unknown destination”, the paper said.
The wheat was traced to Mombeshora’s farm in Mhangura district.
Wheat, like maize, is a controlled product but some producers complain they are not getting realistic prices for the commodity in Zimbabwe’s high-inflation environment.
Grain to make flour and the staple maize meal are not always available in stores in Zimbabwe but are sold on the parallel market, where prices are higher.
Mombeshora has been released but investigations are ongoing, the report said.
”We are still carrying out investigations with a view to ascertain where it [the wheat] was destined to and we would like also to verify the statements that he [Mombeshora] made to police concerning the wheat,” said police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena.
Last year President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Leo Mugabe was arrested, together with his wife Veronica, on suspicion of smuggling grain to neighbouring Mozambique. The case was later ordered dropped for lack of evidence.
Zimbabwe’s upper house was controversially introduced in November last year. Critics said the senate was a waste of money and was aimed at strengthened Zanu-PF’s hold on the country, but the ruling party said it would ensure laws were carefully debated before they were passed. – Sapa-DPA