This is the biography of Prisca Mupfumira, a Zimbabwean politician and former government minister who was arrested for corruption in 2019.
Early Life
Prisca Mupfumira was born in Zimbabwe during the British colonial rule. She participated in the struggle for independence as a young woman and joined the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) party.
Prisca Mupfumira Political Career
Mupfumira rose to prominence in the ZANU–PF party and became a senator for Mashonaland West province. She served as the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare from 2014 to 2017, overseeing the state pension fund. Mupfumira was also the acting Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services in 2017. She was fired by President Robert Mugabe in October 2017 amid allegations of a coup plot and corruption.
Prisca Mupfumira Biography [Image: Daily News]
After Mugabe was ousted by a military coup in November 2017, Mupfumira was appointed as the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry by the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa. She retained this position after the 2018 parliamentary elections.
Prisca Mupfumira Corruption scandal and arrest
In July 2019, Mupfumira was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of abusing public funds worth US$94 million. She was accused of siphoning money from the pension fund and buying luxury cars, houses, and overseas trips. She was also linked to a controversial deal with a South African company to supply fertilizers at inflated prices.
Prisca Mupfumira Biography [Image: iHarare]
Mupfumira was the first senior government official to be detained by the ZACC under Mnangagwa’s anti-corruption campaign. She was denied bail and spent two months in jail before being released in September 2019. She was also fired from her ministerial post in August 2019. Mupfumira is still facing trial for corruption charges, along with her former permanent secretary, Ngoni Masoka.
In August 2023, she was appointed ZANU-PF senator in Mashonaland West.
References
- High Court dismisses Mupfumira’s appeal – The Herald
- Fraud-accused ex-minister Mupfumira bounces back as Zanu PF Senator | New Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe Tourism Minister Charged with Corruption Worth $95 Million – VOA News
