SAMUEL UNDENGE, THE FORMER ZIMBABWE Energy Minister , began a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence on Friday 19 June 2020 after losing his appeal against a 2018 conviction for corruption and managing to stay out of prison on bail pending the outcome of his appeal against conviction and sentence, which was , today, thrown out by the High Court and Harare magistrate Trynos Utahwashe sent him off to finally begin his sentence in prison.
Undenge, left government after the despot former President Robert Mugabe was deposed in a military coup in 2017.
Undenge’s conviction was , for the offence of criminal abuse of office, by instructing the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to hire former Mugabe Zanu PF MP Psychology Maziwisa and former ZBC news anchor, Oscar Pambuka, as consultants and paying them US$12,659.
Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya jailed him for four years, but conditionally suspended part of his sentence leaving him to serve an effective two-and-a-half years.
Armed police arrested Undenge on Thursday at home. Sibusiso Ngwenya ,