HARARE The Mashonaland West police have apprehended the infamous diesel nanga, Rotina Mavhunga, who misled a contingent of Zanu (PF) ministers that she could extract diesel from a rock. The spirit medium, also known as Nomatter Tagarira, a Grade three drop out, convinced Zimbabwe government officials in 2007 that she had been possessed by ancestral spirits who were keen to aid the nations battle with the fuel shortages.
Mavhunga took large sums of money (Z$5 billion), a car and a piece of land from the nation’s highest ranking politicians, promising in return to use spells to produce diesel fuel from Maningwa Hills in the bush outside the provincial town of Chinhoyi, 70 miles northwest of Harare.
After hearing claims of diesel oozing from rocks, President Mugabe set up a Cabinet taskforce, packed with government officials to investigate. The taskforce included State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi and Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi. The team was duped into believing that there was indeed diesel when in reality, Mavhunga bought diesel from neighbouring Zambia and piped it into the rocks.
Her story was, however, exposed as a hoax after Mugabe designated three ministers to leave no stone unturned and report back with the truth of what was going on in Chinhoyi. The team comprised the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Retired Lieutenant-General Mike Nyambuya, Science and Technology Minister Olivia Muchena, and the Minister of Mines Amos Midzi.
Mugabe then ordered Mavhungas arrest, but she disappeared, shielded from the police by Tobaiwa Mudede, the countrys Registrar General, according to police documents. She was finally lured into a trap by Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri who said that he wanted to consult her over some personal problem. She was arrested but released on bail.
She failed to appear for her trial, and was convicted in absentia in July last year on two counts of defrauding the State of about Z$500 billion between March and June 2007 and misrepresenting to a public official that diesel was oozing out of a rock.
Mavhunga was arrested on a farm in the Banket area on Thursday, ending a long, extraordinary and bizarre story where a whole Zimbabwe Cabinet was fooled by a self-styled spirit medium.
Mavhunga has already appeared in court facing two counts of fraud and remanded in custody to September 29 when she is expected to stand trial.
Acting provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera said when Mavhunga was arrested on Thursday at Mucherengi Farm, she was conducting some ritual ceremonies.
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