PS Wushe Accused of Hijacking Irrigation Tenders, Intimidating Engineers – Eduzim News

By A Correspondent| A document from a ZimEye whistleblower has accused Dr. Thomas Utete Wushe, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary for Mines and Mining Development, of secretly owning a private drilling company that has been systematically taking over lucrative government irrigation contracts through intimidation and conflict of interest.

According to the document, Dr. Wushe’s company, Chisipite Drilling, has been paid for uncompleted substandard land clearing work for some time now, and currently he’s carrying out two major government projects — the Chiredzi Ranch North project and the Chemakudo Irrigation Scheme in Mberengwa — without signed contracts.

“He simply starts the work and tells the engineers to regularise it later,” the document states. “If they refuse, they know they will be punished.”

According to the document, Dr. Wushe personally monitored all Department of Irrigation contractor WhatsApp groups using his official NetOne mobile number, and correspondence in project files is routinely signed by his wife, who presents herself under a business alias. “The files don’t lie,” the document reads.

The document states that the most disturbing claim relates to the fate of Dr. Eng. Bezzel Chitsungo, the former Director of Irrigation Development in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. Dr. Chitsungo was reportedly transferred to the Department of Soil Conservation — a far less influential position — after he repeatedly blocked Chisipite Drilling from carrying out non-compliant work.

“He was sent to soil conservation for saying no to Dr. Wushe,” the document states. “Every engineer in the department got the message: cross him, and your career is over.”

The document says provincial engineers in Chiredzi and the engineer at Chemakudo are now working in “perpetual fear.” “No one dares to say no when Chisipite Drilling shows up on site,” the document reads. “The work just begins, and the paperwork is filled in later — if at all.”

The document also alleges that Chisipite Drilling has no valid tender or contract with the Department of Irrigation for any work whatsoever. “Look at the records, when they went on the ground and when the contract was signed,” the document states. “For Chiredzi, the same applies to Chemakudo. Chisipite is on the ground, but no contract has been signed.”

The document further implicates a US$172 million government agreement with Valley Irrigation, signed in July 2024, to supply center pivot irrigation systems covering 23,000 hectares. According to the document, Valley Irrigation, through its Managing Director Kevin Williams, began land clearing and trenching — activities outside its scope of work — without departmental approval. The document alleges that Williams then sub-contracted Kevin Stirrup of Land Prep and Excavator Contractor without a clear agreement.

The document claims that Dr. Wushe intimidated both Williams and Stirrup, forcing them to carry out the land clearing and trenching “under the banner of Chisipite Drilling.” The document states the threat was simple: if they refused, they would not be paid for what the document describes as substandard and incomplete work.

“This is a calculated effort to rip off the Department of Irrigation by bypassing all controls,” the document states.

According to the document, payment for work done by Valley-Center Pivot Irrigation without departmental approval has already been signed off by provisional engineers “in fear” as completed and up to standard, and has been sent for processing to Chisipite Drilling’s account.

The document also identifies Talkmore Chikwinho as a key frontman for Dr. Wushe’s operations, describing him as “the master of botched works.” According to the document, Chikwinho is one of two engineers who appeared in the Harare Magistrate’s Court charged with theft of trust property involving US$50,000. “The man who fleeced a company of US$50,000 is now entrusted with millions of dollars of irrigation work,” the document states.

This is not the first time Dr. Wushe has faced scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest. In March 2026, media outlets reported that while serving as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, he concurrently sat as board chairman of Amalgamated Regional Trading (ART) Holdings — a company regulated by the very ministry he headed. A legal opinion described the conflict as “not merely theoretical; it is functional,” noting that Dr. Wushe was “the chief architect of the very industrial policies … that dictate the commercial survival of ART’s subsidiaries.” Dr. Wushe conceded at the time that he had only “noticed the possibility of exposure” after journalists raised the question and promised to resign from the ART board, though it is unclear whether he ever did.

Legal experts consulted for this investigation said the allegations, if proven, would violate multiple Zimbabwean laws, including the Public Service Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.

The document ends with a plea: “I cannot give you my name. Please check the numbers I have provided and follow the trail. The evidence is there. Protect me. Help us stop this looting before the entire irrigation budget is swallowed by one man’s greed.”

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