eassigned him as a secretary without portfolio in the President’s Office.
Pazvakavambwa was relieved of his post as Agricultural Ministry permanent secretary by chief secretary to Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda last month after a damaging scandal in which sub-standard fertilizer was imported into the country from South Africa.
The Zimbabwean heard that after a three-hour stormy meeting at Zimbabwe House last week, in which dossiers were produced, Mugabe reassigned Pazvakavambwa to his office amid reports he could appoint him secretary of a new ministry he intends to create through a cabinet reshuffle in January.
Pazvakavambwa, who is a cousin to Retired General Solomon Mujuru, reportedly told Mugabe that he was a victim of internal squabbling between himself and agriculture minister Joseph Made, and that the fertilizer scandal could have been ‘a trap’.
Official sources said Pazvakavambwa produced documents detailing the entire transaction. The documents also revealed that he had not botched the deal as he had only approved it after a due diligence exercise carried out by the government laboratory.
The documents reportedly absolved him, and included supporting documents prepared by government agricultural experts who had inspected the fertilizer and certified its quality.
The government is believed to be our of pocket of US$300,000 in the deal that saw the importation of 70,000 tonnes of fake Compound D fertilizer from Intshona Agricultural Products of South Africa.
The same company has been contracted to supply 600,000 tonnes of wheat to Zimbabwe amid reports the grain was only fit for stockfeed, not for human consumption.