Alex Magaisa

Service/Career

Magaisa worked at the University of Warwick, the University of Nottingham and was based at Kent Law School, the University of Kent at the time of his death on 5 June 2022. His main area of teaching and research was company and financial services law.

Magaisa was the Chief Adviser to Morgan Tsvangirai in the period to the July 2013 parliamentary and presidential election in Zimbabwe. As chief of staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, he was responsible for overseeing staff and delivering support to the Prime Minister. ^[1]

He was the technical adviser to Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC), the organ that wrote the new Constitution of Zimbabwe in the period to the March 2013 constitutional referendum.

Magaisa also worked in financial services regulation, having spent three years at the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC), the financial services regulator in Jersey, the international finance centre based in the Channel Islands. ^[2]

Events

Farm Mechanisation Scheme

In July 2020, Fiscorp, the subsidiary (former) of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which handled the Farm Mechanisation Programme between 2007 and 2008, challenged former legislator, Mr Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and former Cabinet minister Mr Saviour Kasukuwere, to prove that they repaid the loans through which they received equipment under the scheme. This came as former RBZ Governor, Dr Gideon Gono, attempted to set the record straight to say the programme was not corrupt. He was responding to claims by Dr Alex Magaisa, and said that the programme, which was carried out during a difficult period, started as a loan and was later changed to a grant after the Government of National Unity had approved the switch. Former Fiscorp chief executive Mr Mathews Kunaka said no beneficiary was invoiced to repay the equipment and challenged Mr Kasukuwere and Mr Bhasikiti to provide details showing their repayments. He said Fiscorp never issued invoices and beneficiaries never knew the amount they owed, but only signed for delivery of the equipment.

It emerged that Mr Kasukuwere received more than just two tractors that he claimed to have paid for, but an assortment of farm implements. On his Twitter handle, Mr Kasukuwere said: “I think the RBZ should invoice and collect the money. These are public funds and no one should put up useless defence for looting. I paid for the two tractors that I got and I am happy to receive an invoice from the RBZ if I owe them anything.” Mr Bhasikiti, on his Twitter handle said; “Those who are saying farm mechanisation was for free are telling blatant lies. I paid $10 billion for mine, which was worked as the United States dollar equivalent then.” ^[3]

References