Accounts of Grace Mugabe allies frozen

The Zimbabwe Government has frozen bank accounts of two top allies of former First Lady Grace Mugabe. The Herald newspaper reports that Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu has confirmed the accounts of former Local Government Minister Saviour Kasakuwere and ex-Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo have been blocked. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said ‘the effect of the freeze is that (except any inflows into the account, which shall be processed normally and immediately notified to the unit) no other transactions shall be processed’. The two former Ministers were identified as members of the ‘G40’ cabal that surrounded former President Robert Mugabe, ‘taking advantage of his advanced age to engage in criminal activities’. New Zimbabwe reports that a court on Thursday released Former Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo on bail ahead of his trial on corruption charges. The close Mugabe ally was the first aide to be charged with a crime. He was granted $5 000 bail, but ordered to surrender his passport. Chombo faces fraud charges dating from 2004-2009.