Arson suspected in Beitbridge warehouse fire

Thulani Ndlovu Sunday News Correspondent
A CASE of arson is being investigated in the fire that gutted a warehouse containing confiscated property worth millions of dollars at the Beitbridge border post about two weeks ago amid suspicions that some corrupt Zimra officials wanted to conceal the fact that they looted property stored in the warehouse. The Beitbridge Chief Fire Officer George Maseko confirmed that there were queries that were established during their investigations.

He, however, declined to disclose the nature of the queries saying the fire department compiled a report that was submitted to the Beitbridge Town Secretary Mr Loud Ramakgapola.

“The panel undertaking investigations after the fire established queries. The queries are clearly spelt in the report that we compiled and handed over to the town secretary as per procedure. Am not at liberty to disclose the contents of the reports but you can access it from the town secretary,” said Mr Maseko.

“As of now we sent debris collected at the scene of the fire to the laboratory for tests and only thereafter will we be able to have conclusive results,” he added.

Mr Ramakgapola declined to comment on the allegations of arson or on the content of the reports submitted by the Fire Engineering Department.

“The police are handling the matter, please contact them. I am unable to give you the report or comment on the contents therein,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from the police were fruitless as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) which was said to be handling the matter sent us from pillar to pillar with Detective Inspector Monalisa Mangena referring questions to Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi who was said to be handling the matter.

Chief Supt Nyathi, however, declined to comment and referred questions to the national spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba.

“As of now I have not received the report from the CID who are handling the matter,” said Ass-Com Charamba.

According to inside sources stationed at the border post the Zimra officials torched the warehouse to conceal that they removed or stole millions of dollars worth of property that was supposed to be auctioned before the year ends.

“There are strong allegations of underhand dealings. The preliminary investigations by Zimra, the police and fire brigade point to the fact that the fire was deliberately started. The main pointer to the suspicion is that if it was an electrical fault which caused the fire, the whole electrical system at the border post would have been affected, which was not the case and which rebuffs the theory that an electrical fault might have caused the fire,” said the inside source.

Zimra spokesperson Mr Taungana Ndoro declined to either confirm or deny the allegations asking for questions in writing which he did not respond to up to the time of going to print.