Zanu (PF) chairman narrates ordeal under CIO torture

Media reports which dwelt on the story quoted unnamed sources saying the famous businessman had been assaulted by thugs who wanted to rob him. Other reports went on to mention that the thugs who beat him had been hired by his business associates who had been irked by a deal which went sour between them.

However, this week Chiyangwa was prepared to finally open up to The Zimbabwean, the ordeal that he went through and circumstances that led to his discovery in a state of unconsciousness at his usual parking area outside Fidelity Building in Bulawayo. He also disowned earlier statements he made to the media that he had been beaten by thugs saying the journalists who interviewed him on his bedside at the United Bulawayo Hospital unethically intruded into his privacy and so he just made comments which would make them go away quickly because he was in great pain.

The actual story which he took this reporter through, is that he was tortured by CIO operatives who wanted to force him to conceal details of a gold scam to which he is key witness on the case at the Bulawayo magistrates court.

“I am a security consultant and I own a company that speacialises on that in Bulawayo called J Securiy Services. I was approached by management at Old Nic Mine late last year and they said they suspected their gold was being siphoned because the produce had dwindled from about three kilogrammes a day to less than one or sometimes nothing.

“So we set undercovers and investigated the issue. That is when we went to that mine and arrested 14 suspects whom we found with 426 grammes of gold. The suspects are in custody awaiting trial expected on February 25 and I am a key witness on the case,” explained Chiyangwa.

“Days after, I was approached by one CIO operative called Kadzire and he accused me of having handed over the gold suspects to police. He told me that the suspects were Zanu (PF) supporters whom the CIO were eating with and hence I was supposed to withdraw the case since we belonged to one party, however I refused,” he said.

He went on to mention that on 3 February, he was phoned through a landline number 09 886824 by a lady called Mrs Nhongo who invited him to the CIO’s headquarters in Bulawayo located at Magnet House.

“Upon arrival at the CIO building, I was recived by a woman operative who immidiately slapped me on the face and asked who I thought I was. Three other women operatives then dragged me into a nearby room where there were already four men. They all undressed me while beating me throughly with electric cables.

“I have an artificial limp because I am disabled from the knee so they removed it and used the cables to assault me on the remaining half of the leg. When they realised that my screaming was going to attract attention of the people passing outside the building, the CIOs then gagged me with a cloth and pulled me into my Toyota Prado vehicle which was parked outside,” explained Chiyangwa.

He went on to state that the CIO operatives then blindfolded him and drove his car towards the Matopo road while the beatings continued.

“After about an hour of the torture, one of them told his collegues that it was now too much and that if I died, it was going to be tough for them. They then brought me back to the office and left me for dead.

“I was unconscious for some time and when I wake up I phoned my daughter but I could not talk. She then drove to the office looking for me and that is how I went to the hospital.”

Chiyangwa also stated that he strongly believes the CIO operatives who tortured him are the ones who gave a dummy story to the media that it was thugs who had beaten him. The Zanu (PF) chairman however vowed to ensure that he testifies in the gold case so that those who were behind the massive theft of the precious mineral in connivance with mine workers face justice.