Mutoko council executives remanded in custody

MUTOKO Rural District Council chief executive officer Peter Sigauke and town planner Enock Mukwekwe appeared before Magistrate Elijah Sibanda on Friday facing charges of criminal abuse of office and were remanded in custody to June 19 for trial.

The two executives, who were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, face allegations of illegally selling residential and commercial stands and converting the proceeds to personal use.

Prosecutor Crispen Chikafu told the court that the two committed the crime between July 2 and 5, 2019.

“All decisions pertaining to disposal of council properties are (made) after authorisation by a full council meeting through a resolution spelling out action to be taken via advertising in various media inviting bidders. But the two unlawfully and contrary to their duties as public officers and without approval from the principal pegged three unnumbered stands within Chinzanga Beer Hall stand and (sold them) to Tinashe Mazarura, Gabriel Karimazondo and Trust Kachidza. Accused pocketed US$12 000 from the sales between themselves,” Chikafu told the court.

The alleged scam came to light after the buyers started developing the stands and councillors discovered that there was no resolution giving the greenlight to sell the stands.

A probe was launched and the two claimed that there was a build-operate-transfer agreement with the trio backdated to July 2019, the court heard.

On the second charge, the two unlawfully created commercial stand numbers 4616, 4016 and 4015 at the old bus terminus.

The other stands were lawfully sold to Econet Wireless and Zvisineyi Chitiyo, while stand number 4015 remained in the council’s land bank.

The prosecutor noted: “Sigauke, fully aware of the procedure, unlawfully allocated stand number 4015 to Mukwekwe without a council resolution which is contrary to their duties as public officers. It was discovered after developments were done, prompting investigations that led to the arrest of the two.”

Their lawyer Widias Chishiri of Dondo Saunyama Law firm pleaded for his clients to be granted bail, but Chikafu opposed, saying the two held positions of influence and could interfere with State witnesses.

Chikafu added: “There is overwhelming evidence against the duo and the case was a tip of the iceberg, where scandals in both residential and commercial stands allocations is rife.”

In his bail ruling, Sibanda noted that the witnesses were “familiar to them, hence they could tamper with evidence and interfere with witnesses”.