HARARE – A fire destroyed the home of former Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa in Borrowdale on Friday, causing extensive damage.
The Zanu PF‘s acting finance secretary and political commissar said he “completely rules out any foul play” after firefighters responded to the inferno between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m.
Chinamasa said her one-year-old grandson was rescued unharmed from the master bedroom where the fire was first spotted, after he described a “resounding noise”.
In a statement on the incident, Chinamasa said: “Thank God the child’s mother, who had just returned from work, and the housekeeper managed to save the baby.
“The main bedroom, the bedroom where the fire started and my office were all burned by the fire and reduced to ashes. Nothing was saved from these rooms. The firefighters arrived in time to save the room dining room, living room, kitchen and the two remaining bedrooms.
“I assume the cause of the fire was electrical failure. I completely rule out foul play. Enemies may celebrate my misfortune, but I believe there was no enemy hand behind this incident. I know that social media will be flooded with all kinds of speculation. I have no power to stop this. What I know from the bottom of my heart is that it was an accident, force majeure.
Chinamasa said he was “seriously traumatized” by the incident, adding, “It’s not easy to accept that what we’ve worked for all our lives went up in smoke in seconds.
“We are left with only the clothes we wore. The furniture, the clothes, the blankets, the files, the documents, the archives, the manuscripts, the family photos…everything, and in particular my invaluable and irreplaceable library, is just a pile of ash and rubble.”
Chinamasa referenced the biblical Job, whose story of keeping faith no matter how much life circumstances inspire Christians.
“I come across work-related issues in conversations with my friends and family, but I want to reassure those who care about my well-being that I trust God and that He will take care of me,” he declared.
