Former Civil Service, Labor and Social Affairs Minister Petronella Kagonye was sentenced to 16 months in prison by Harare Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti.

This follows his conviction on Wednesday for misappropriating for his own use around 20 computers which were donated through him by POTRAZ to benefit schools in politician Zanu PF’s Goromonzi South constituency in 2018.

Muchuchuti sentenced Kagonye to 36 months in prison before quashing 12 months for five years on condition of good behavior.

Eight more months were set aside on the condition that she return the equivalent of $10,000 of the laptops she stole.

The politician courted trouble in June 2018 when she wrote to then ICT Minister Supa Mandiwanzira asking for computers to be donated to schools in her constituency.

On June 20, 2018, Mandiwanzira then wrote to POTRAZ requesting facilitation of donations through its e-learning project to schools in South Goromonzi.

POTRAZ donated the computers to Kagonye who sent his brother Evans Kagonye to retrieve them on his behalf.

POTRAZ then followed up on the donation, but the computers could not be counted.

Kagonye becomes a rare case of imprisonment involving a senior Zanu PF official.

Other Zanu PF officials who have been prosecuted for corruption by Zimbabwean courts are still free.

These include former local government minister Ignatius Chombo, former civil service minister Prisca Mupfumira, former energy minister Samuel Undenge as well as former lawmaker Psychology Mazivisa.