Chilling details have emerged targeting a long time international public servant, and one of the longest-serving tourism ministers to be murdered.  The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and a new UNWTO event planned in Zimbabwe under the leadership of  secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili,  is all part of a broader internal mess this southern African country Zimbabwe is currently in.

In addition, a witch hunt taking place in Zimbabwe that can be initiated by anyone who wanted to blow a whistle, and triggers the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission to get active and put people in handcuffs. It’s an ideal platform for settling scores on behalf of politicians having a conflict with other politicians.

One prominent person arrested last month was Dr. Walter Mzembi, former foreign minister and minister of tourism and hospitality industries, who is accused of a crime. The crime is a donation by his ministry after the World Cup 2010. The donation done without treasury concurrence were some public area viewing screens. They went to churches and a university to help promote religious tourism.

Yesterday Zimbabwe media headlines made this story even more bizarre and now it includes a murder for hire and the target was no other than Dr. Walter Mzembi.

The Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission works on tips and some say it’s abusing its questionable arresting powers before thorough investigations are made.

Its megaphone policy has recently come under severe criticism by the new Government itself, which accuses it of running public trials of its suspects using Zimbabwe’s public media and hyperactive social media. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba has criticised the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC)’s way of tackling corruption. Speaking on ZiFM Stereo during an interview, Charamba criticised ZACC for not following due process and warned the anti-graft body that even criminals deserve justice.

Charamba said:” I don’t think newspapers and radio stations are the best media for delivering processes of justice. Yes, justice must be seen to be done but at times it is done before it is actually done and that creates a certain sense of victimization which does not in any way edify processes which must, in fact, inspire public confidence. So whoever is involved in investigations around errant behavior must always be mindful that the whole world is watching, two those people have rights, three there is due process which must be followed, four there’s nothing called a public trial.”

Global tourism events are important for a country like Zimbabwe. As the new Zimbabwe Tourism Minister Priscah Mupfumira told reporters at the recently concluded FITUR trade show in Madrid this month: “Tourism is a key contributor to the economy. So for me, the first thing is about brand Zimbabwe, marketing the brand, making sure that we attract as many tourists as possible and grow the sector’s contribution to Government revenue.” After meeting with UNWTO in Madrid the new Zimbabwe minister expressed gratitude for the opportunity to host another major event.

The UNWTO General Assembly in Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2013 was one of the most successful events in UNWTO history but did not start without problems. If it wasn’t for Zimbabwe’s former minister of tourism and hospitality Dr. Walter Mzembi, the event may not have gotten the standing it did.

Yesterdays news-coverage making headlines in the Zimbabwe news media about a failed assassination attempt against the popular former Minister Mzembi puts this attempt by the current administration to secure a new UNWTO conference in another view.

Last week a self-confessed hitman had testified to Zimbabwe police alleging a senior government official issued him an assassination order to take out former Foreign Affairs minister Dr. Walter Mzembi.

Curiously enough, Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze who the assassin accused to have hired him to eliminate Dr. Walter Mzembi is the same man who served as Dr. Mzembi’ s permanent secretary during the time when Mzembi was Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industries, and Maunganidze was fired by Mzembi’s ministry and reassigned a few months before the UNWTO General Assembly was held successfully in Victoria Falls in 2013.

The alleged hitman Munyaradzi Mupazviripo filed a report at Borrowdale Police Station in Harare on January 24, 2018 at 19:49 hours, providing granular details of how the government official allegedly gave him instructions in May 2015 to carry out the extra-judicial killing.

The 44-year-old assassin claimed Mzembi’s former permanent secretary told him he would receive a $50.000 cash payment for executing Mzembi. The docket was recorded by a constable J Mapfumo, force number 063184. The case is recorded in RRB number 0242860061 and CR 345/01/18.

The assassin by the name of Mupazviripo, who was in hiding said he has now (years later) been targeted for disobeying the order and was living in fear of being murdered. In his raw account in the docket, he said his refusal to carry out the assignment means he was as good as dead.

“In November 2017 Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze phoned me and started insulting me, threatening that I was going to jail and I am a G40 cabal,” Mupazviripo said in his police report. “Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze is always calling me on the phone threatening that I will go to jail this year without fail.”

After yesterdays media coverage on eTurboNews and other publications yesterday Mupazviripo was arrested on some unrelated charges today.

Mzembi declined to comment on the plot, referring questions to his lawyer Job Sikhala, who said Mupazviripo approached his client at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts last week where the former Foreign minister Mzembi is being charged with “criminal abuse of office”. Mzembi denies any wrongdoing.

Sikhala said: “I didn’t wait to hear what he was telling him. Mzembi caught up with me by the car park and briefed me about what he was told by the hired assassin who pulled him aside that he was hired some time ago to kill him by one man named Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze whom I don’t even know.”

“I digressed over the issue and requested to meet with Mupazviripo and hear his story. We met him and he gave us the narration of how, where and when he was hired and the purpose of the mission and many other stories.

In a statement, police spokesperson senior assistant commissioner Charity Charamba said the content of the report “is false”.

In an interview with the Zimbabwe Daily News, the assassin said he had conducted many covert operations, notably in the areas of propaganda and psychological warfare.

He said in his last mission, he was assigned as an agent to infiltrate and monitor the State broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

This assassin accused Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze who was the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry before the UNWTO General Assembly in 2013 , that he wanted Dr. Walter Mzembi dead.

On October 6, 2009 eTurboNews reported about former Zimbabwe President Mugabe had appointed Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze as the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

On August 1, 2012 the African review reported: Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze has paid the price for revealing that the country was ill prepared to host next year’s world tourism summit, as he was relieved of his duties and moved to a less fashionable post.

Dr. Sylvester Maunganidze however, denies involvement in the alleged murder-for-hire plot against Mzembi.

Many think Maunganidze is accused of being responsible for Mzembi’s incarceration in a web of conspiracy with the new administration and some of its officials, a typical vengeance and retribution mission. Perhaps, Maunganidze is pulling the strings from behind the scenes as a whistleblower on the old administration which he hated for demoting him. This is a high probability. All the cases against Mzembi have Maunganidze at the center as the then Permanent Secretary.

When Maunganidze was permanent secretary to Dr. Mzembi, Maunganidze was accused of making disparaging remarks about Zambia just before Zambia was to co-host the summit with Zimbabwe, triggering a diplomatic row between the two countries.

Zambia Reports published this article on Augst 3, 2012: A top government official in African dictator Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe leadership is fired for comments on Zambia as both countries prepare to host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) 20th general assembly next year.

At that time Karikoga Kaseke, who was heading the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, told a press conference back in 2012, “There is nothing fictitious in that bid and the Permanent Secretary thinks by lying it can turn against Dr. Mzembi, our minister,”

The new Zimbabwe Government by its own admission has criticised the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) for its public trials of suspects but the damage for high profile international figures like Mzembi has been done with impunity.

Quoting Shakespeare as he had famously said: “He who steals my good name steals all I have”, Mzembi ‘s good name built on years of dedicated work for his country including a run on behalf of Africa for the world ‘s top tourism job has been “stolen” by his own Government in a reckless retribution mission.

This move was expected, implemented on January 1 and announced only today, January 25. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili appointed Mr. Shanzhong Zhu as Executive Director of UNWTO. WorldTourismWire had reached out to UNWTO earlier this month to get confirmation on appointments, but no response was received.

A move for the new Georgian Secretary-General to appoint a Chinese Executive Director was expected by eTN long before the last UNWTO General Assembly. eTN had reported about a meeting with the Secretary-General and CNTA on August 28. It was assumed this possible outcome of Chinese participation in UNWTO may have been already sealed and agreed on.

The confirmation for Zurab Pololikashvili as UNWTO Secretary-General became a top priority for China when hosting the assembly in Chengdu. The importance was obvious with  the launch of the World Tourism Alliance.

On September 13 during the General Assembly in Chengdu, China the World Tourism Alliance was launched under the leadership of CNTA. The founder was no other than Mr.  Li Jinzao, Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. The World Tourism Alliance is a new initiative with top name brand leadership organizations as founding members. They include brand names like Taleb Rifa, Roger Dow, CEO of the US Travel Association, WTTC and many more.

At the founding event during the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory letter. Li Jinzao, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and Director of the Preparatory Committee for the WTA, read the congratulatory letter and delivered remarks. UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai and WTA Chairman Duan Qiang also gave speeches.

Present at the ceremony included His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Mikheil Janelidze, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Georgia, Joe Natuman, Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Yin Li, Governor of Sichuan Province, Du Jiang, Vice Chairman of CNTA, and Luo Qiang, Mayor of Chengdu.

The WTA consists of 89 founding members, 29 in China and 60 from overseas countries, including 62 enterprises, 24 associations, two (2) academic institutions and one media agency. The Association and its Secretariat is currently headquartered in China’s capital, Beijing. (click here )

According to today’s UNWTO press release, Mr. Zhu, a Chinese national, began his two-year term on 1 January 2018. This was only announced on January 25. Mr. Zhu joined UNWTO in 2014 as Executive Director. Prior to his appointment, he was Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

This position puts China clearly in the top leadership of World Tourism with decisionmaking influence on most aspects of world tourism politics. With China developing the largest outbound tourism industry in the world this ambition is not surprising.

“It is all over for Walter Mzembi. They are so many cameras here. This is high profile and highly political”, a bystander told eTN from outside the  Harare courtroom where Walter Mzembi had his bail hearing Saturday Morning. Bail was granted and set for  $400 by the court at 10.45 am Saturday morning. The trial date was set for January 22, 2018.

Still facing Prison, the former Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism Walter Mzembi is accused by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).  Mzembi was arrested in Harare on Friday morning. Believing in the system and in his country even after the recent power change Mzembi just told eTN: “There was nothing to fear in Zimbabwe.”

Well respected among ministers of tourism from around the globe, liked and highly educated and seen as a global leader also within people in the inner circle of the World Tourism Organization, WTTC and many other tourism organizations, the Hon. Walter Mzembi was known and seen by everyone as someone who was carrying the Zimbabwe flag high and proud. He honorably represented his country as a minister of tourism since February 13, 2009  with pride and dignity under a government and president who was disliked in many parts of the world.

He was instrumental to bring the UNWTO General Assembly in August 2013 to Zimbabwe.  The event was co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia and still seen as one of the most effective and best events  UNWTO ever concluded.

In 2017 Mzembi was the candidate of the African Union for the position of the 2018-21 Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization and lost second against Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia.  Many say it was not Mzembi’s qualification and vision for World Tourism what cost him the election, but the association with the country he stood for.

Mzembi served under the Mugabe presidency as the minister of tourism since February 13, 2009. This was not an easy task but well done under the condition faced.

It waits to be seen if UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili who just started his term 5 days ago will use his new influence to push for the dismissel of these charges against Mr. Mzembi.

At the recent UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China, Mzembi was invited to the stage and seen hugging Zurab Pololikashvili to congratulate him after a bitter fight for the position.

Mzembi was appointed as the foreign minister of Zimbabwe by ailing president Mugabe and only served 6 weeks before the government changes in this African country in November 2017.

Mzembi was well aware of the risk to not leave Zimbabwe, but as a patriot and believer in a new democracy stayed put. Mzembi tried to meet Emmerson Mnangagwa, the new president. He spent all day in his office in December but wasn’t able to shake hands.

Mzembi went to South Africa over Christmas and New Years in search for a job but returned to his country on Friday morning when he was arrested.

“This is hard to swallow knowing Walter Mzembi truly loves his country”, a person close to Mzembi told eTN. The charges of corruption are somewhat strange. A first reaction to the charges: “You want us to believe this? The truth will prevail and it is the truth that will set Mzembi free.”

“Already, I have been told that the case is weak. They want to shame Walter because he is much loved by most people and it’s obviously related to the preparation for elections next year.”

Mzembi’s lawyer Mr. Job Sikhala said his client was facing allegations of donating four government owned TV sets  to churches. The Zimbabwe government bought TVs for a 2010 World Cup promotion. After the World Cup, former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi donated 4 of the TV’s to churches. This was led by led by Emmanuel Makandiwa, Walter Magaya and Bishop Mutendi This has been the official version and reason for his arrest.

His attorney Job Wiwa Sikhala was one of the most vocal opposition leaders in Zimbabwe. He was known for his scathing criticism against the Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party. He belongs to the first crop of opposition leaders who were influential in the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Job Sikhala has become well known in Africa after claiming to have been tortured by the Mugabe regime. Job, who was an MP with the Movement for Democratic Change said he had to endure severe torture after being arrested in January.

Also detained was former Energy and Power Development Minister Samuel Undenge. Undenge is alleged to have abused his position as the former Minister of Energy and Power Development to influence ZESA to illegally parcel out tenders to those he may have favored.

Do not miss the last interview that UNWTO Secretary-General has conducted under his mandate!
Dr. Taleb Rifai is about to leave Madrid on a one-way ticket home to Amman, Jordan. Tourism is several thousand years old in the Kingdom of Jordan. Amman, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea, Petra, Jerash are some of the must-see destination a visitor to Jordan should experience. With Taleb Rifai returning home, with his standing, influence, and experience in the international tourism community, Jordan is poised to become the number one hot spot in the world of travel and tourism. Taleb’s  recent visit to Damascus may be an attempt to help stabilize the situation in the Middle East through tourism and the integration of Syria.

Dr. Rifai said in the interview with  UNWTO Communication officer Rut Gomez Sabrino: “I was moved when the world thanked me in Chengdu at the General Assembly.  I was so used to be the one saying thank you.”

Taleb worked tirelessly from the minute he took charge of his office in 2010 until  Friday, the last working day for UNWTO this year. Under his leadership tourism was elevated from a side industry to one of the major economic pillars and a contributor of peace in this world.

Memorable moments at UNWTO, the evolution of the tourism sector in the last years and confidences about his future integrate the short chat that took place at UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid. Rifai’s conclusion was: Everything I had planned, I fulfilled, except for one important point on my whitepaper – the expansion of member countries in UNWTO. Rifai’s final request for the next leadership was to build on this and work on attracting countries like the United States, Canada, the UK or Australia to join this important UN specialized agency.

Without a doubt, the travel and tourism world owes Dr. Taleb Rifai a big thank you. It remains to be seen how loud this thank you will echo in Washington, London, Canberra or Ottawa in the near future and under a new leadership. Considering Canada, for example, left UNWTO in 2012 out of protest over Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe. Times had definitely changed. The focus of a new UNWTO may be on Europe and countries with close ties to Georgia when Zurab Pololikashvil from Georgia will be in charge. Perhaps touching on the issue of expanding membership in Rifai’s last interview was a “hint of advice” for Pololikashvil.

Click on the video below to watch and listen. 
(Posted to the UNWTO FACEBOOK page)

Is the UNWTO General Assembly a closed event? The publisher of this publication received a  surprisingly urgent demand from the UNWTO Chief of Communication and Publications officer Sandra Carvao on December 21, 2017. Her request was for Worldtourismwire to delete two recordings from a December 14 article published on this wire entitled UNWTO the Untold Story -click here to read- According to sources, this request came from the UNWTO legal counsel.

Carvao wrote: “Such material (recordings) is protected and this cannot be made public without the authorization of the people on tape. I would thus ask you to please consider to take out these recordings with immediate effect.”

She went on to question this publisher in concluding he didn’t attend the General Assembly “in the quality of media”,

While some journalists and photographers were hosted by UNWTO, the eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz attended the UNWTO General Assembly on his own time and invested his own money as a delegate representing the International Coalition of Tourism Partners. Steinmetz is the chairman of the organization. Professor Geoffrey Lipman who also attended is the president of ICTP.

Even though eTN was not invited to attend the press-conferences in Chengdu,  this publication was always the first international news outlet coming out with news from the event, or the first articles found on Google News.

The two recordings UNWTO wanted to be removed:

Recording one included the explanation to the general assembly on how the confirmation process works. The Chairwomen explained to the General Assembly the confirmation process on how to confirm or not confirm Zurab Pololikashvili as the candidate presented by the Executive Council.

The chairwoman explained such a confirmation is usually done by acclamation, except if a country requests a secret vote. She said only one country is necessary to demand a secret vote.  She went on to ask the General Assembly if any country requested a secret vote and The Gambia responded positively.

Shortly thereafter the microphone was given to the current Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai. Rifai is heard pleading with the full General Assembly for unity in the organization and to trust the Executive Council in their decision to elect Zurab Pololikashvili and to proceed with acclamation instead of a secret ballot.

The second recording included a debate by a number of countries pushing and effectively isolating The Gambia to withdraw their request for a secret vote.

Experts told eTN this alone should have been reason enough not to let The Gambia withdraw. This debate should have never taken place since one country already asked for a vote.

The recording also included the second intervention by Zimbabwe and the continuation to isolated this African country to agree on not having a vote. When this agreement was made and Pololikashvili was confirmed the Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism Dr. Walter Mzembi was invited to the stage and to shake hands with Pololikashvili, Rifai and everyone else.

Steinmetz said today from his home in Hawaii: “Journalists should feel safe reporting from a United Nations Event. The UNWTO General Assembly was an international event and should not have been subject to censorship procedures by its host country.  Including recordings from a public UN event in a relevant news article cannot be compared to a private recording between two people. This recording would have helped to show transparency and openness by UNWTO.

“The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists is currently debating and the Issue of Impunity is a worldwide framework which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, both in conflict and non-conflict situations.

“All major and many not so major news channels use investigative reporting tools. These tools almost always include recordings.”

” What is there to hide? Everything at the General Assembly was recorded anyway, videos and photos are produced. The event had TV cameras running and recording the same content.?”

“In just 6 short days a new year starts, and for UNWTO a brand new leadership will be taking over. This leadership needs all the support it can get, It’s time to move forward.”

“eTN always appreciated our excellent professional relationship, friendship, and cooperation with UNWTO and the people behind the organization. We hope 2018 will not be any different. I also hope this UN Specialized Agency will put a focus on transparency and openness towards their members, affiliated members, the media, the travel & tourism industry and the global public as a whole. All of us here at the eTN Group of publications are looking forward to this.”

“Worldtourismwire asked UNWTO and the UN Headquarter in New York and a journalist association for more input on this issue. Depending on the response we will decide on the removal of the two recordings. The principle of a free press and the integrity and independence of our reporting has top priority for eTN. I hope our readers appreciate this.”

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