HARARE – Unknown suspects broke into Tourism and Hospitality Industry deputy minister Tongai Mnangagwa’s offices on Monday night, adding to the mystery of recent burglaries that have been targeted at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s close relatives.
The deputy minister confirmed the incident Tuesday morning saying the suspects gained entry through the ceiling.
“We are still searching if they took anything. We have police at the scene right now,” he told a local daily.
His offices are housed at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) building along Samera Machel Avenue in Harare central.
The incident following similar attacks targeted recently at the president’s son David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa’s Borrowdale home in Harare.
In one incident, on June 25, an intruder whom police dubbed the “ghost raider” left six cartridges – three outside the finance deputy minister’s main bedroom door and three on the lawn outside the double storey property.
David Mnangagwa’s home is located on Camel Road and is guarded by two police officers.
The first breach took place on June 23 at around 10PM when unknown intruders stole the top government official’s 9mm Beretta pistol with 15 live cartridges and US$500 cash which was in the bedroom as he watched TV with his wife.
The latest was a fire incident which occurred at the 35-year-old deputy minister’s house on 28 June just before midnight.
The tale of mystery invasions targeting the Mnangagwas does not end with the two deputy ministers but dates back to the days when the Zimbabwe incumbent was still vice president under late former President Robert Mugabe’s government.
In 2014, Mnangagwa’s government and party offices were broken into six times by unidentified persons.
They were broken into four times while he was justice minister and once when he was defence minister.
In one incident, at his Zanu PF headquarters offices in Harare, suspects allegedly laced his desk with cyanide, poisoning his secretary who had to be hospitalised.
In many of the occasions, nothing was stolen while there were no arrests on any suspects.