Undege was convicted of criminal abuse of office in 2018 and sentenced in June 2020 to four years’ imprisonment with 18 months suspended for five years on condition of good behavior, leaving him to effectively serve two-and-a-half years in prison. He was later released from jail through a presidential pardon.

Abuse of power charge

Undenge’s charges arose from a January 14, 2016 letter in which he allegedly directed the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to work hand in glove with a local consultancy company, Fruitful Communications fronted by Oscar Pambuka and Psychology Maziwisa. This was meant to be a six-month engagement in publicity work relating to the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation programmes until 2018.

The letter read: “I write to inform you that Fruitful Communications is a media company that is working towards the dissemination of information on all ZimAsset based projects. They have done publicity work for the ministry of Energy and Power Development by putting me, as the principal voice, at the forefront of explaining our vision as well as the different interventions that are currently being undertaken by the ministry. “I have found them to be incredibly useful in this regard and hereby direct that you work as closely as possible with them at intervals of six (6) months per engagement until 2018”.

Losing his farm

Samuel Undenge who invaded his farm in Merrywaters , Risitu valley in Chamanimani from a white farmer in the early 2000s is reportedly now a victim of a similar scheme after war veterans from the surrounding area stormed the farm and shared in amongst themselves.

The invasion is said to have started last year 2021 and is almost completely occupied now. The war veterans said that the place was abandoned , creating a hiding ground for rapists and murderers, a person was killed , mutulated and the body dumped on the farm in what the locals suspect it was a ritualistic murder. “We were left with no option but to clear the area” said one of the occupiers who prefer to remain anonymous.

Samuel Undenge tried to use the police and even soldiers to dislodge the invaders but was not successful , he end up approaching the courts to try and get his farm back. The case is still ongoing but his chances are getting slimmer by the day as the locals fully entrench themselves on the land.

It is understood that Undenge is now taking a new approach of accusing the occupiers of steal his farming property , however those who are familiar with the case said that Undenge has no merit has he can not produce receipts of the property which was stolen on point the person who steal the property as the farm has been Idle for a long time ,with nothing worthy of stealing.

Financial issues

In 2010 Undenge was sued for US$480 in maintenance by his former wife, Angeline Undenge. He offered to pay US$150, but was ordered to pay US$380. The then deputy minister said he could not afford his ex-wifes demands because he was already paying US$150 for two other children from another woman. In that case, Deputy Minister Undenge had offered to pay another ex-wife, Rosemary Nyamande, US$60 but was ordered to pay US$150.

And in 2014 his estranged daughter was also suspended from school for failing to pay tuition fee