FORMER Public Service minister Petronella Kagonye has denied stealing computers which were meant for schools in Goromonzi South constituency and said her arrest was orchestrated by her political opponents.
She is facing theft charges, accused of writing a letter to then Information Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira requesting computers to donate to schools in Goromonzi South but allegedly converted them to her own use.
Kagonye is on defence on the matter after regional magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro ruled that the case needed explaining after discharging her on fraud allegations regarding land.
The ex-minister told the court that everything she did was above board and instead of the computers for schools, she got 20 laptops which she requested from the ICT minister for the needy in her constituency during the 2018 elections campaign period.
“I was doing everything wholeheartedly and never expected something like this would happen. I later learnt that my political opponents were plotting against me and raised the 16 allegations against me.
“When investigations were done, other counts were dropped and only six remained including this one,” she said.
“I requested for computers to donate to schools in my constituency but it was made known to me that they were out of stock and only laptops were there. I then wrote another letter requesting 20 laptops to donate to the needy in my constituency. These were not for schools. I personally handed over two laptops and some were handed over by my campaign committee,” she said.
It is alleged that Kagonye wrote a letter to Mandiwanzira requesting computers to donate to schools in Goromonzi South.
Claims are that on June 20, 2018, Mandiwanzira then wrote a letter to Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz) requesting that they facilitate a donation of computers through its E-Learning Project to Goromonzi South schools and 20 computers were donated.
The computers were allegedly collected by Kagonye’s brother Evans Kagonye on her behalf.
Reports are that Potraz made follow-ups on the donation and up to date, the computers cannot be accounted for and no school in Goromonzi South confirmed receipt of any of these computers.
She allegedly failed to submit to Potraz proof of any school receiving any of the donated computers worth US$8 000.
The State insisted that Kagonye received the computers and stole them and failed to deliver them as requested in her letter thereby stealing from the poor.
The matter continues on Thursday with Kagonye bringing her defence witnesses.