Machaya judgment deferred
PROVINCIAL magistrate, Charity Maphosa yesterday postponed to August 17 ruling in the matter in which former Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Jason Machaya is charged with criminal abuse of office, indicating that the judgment was not yet ready.
Machaya is co-charged with exMidlands provincial planning officer, Chisainyerwa Chibururu.
Maphosa said the State and defence counsels had not made their written submissions in time.
Machaya (65) and Chibururu (47) are alleged to have fraudulently acquired stands in the Mapfungautsi residential area of Gokwe.
Both are, however, denying the charges.
It is the State’s case that sometime in 2013, the Gokwe Town Council requested for 3 000 residential stands around Mapfungautsi Extension from the Local Government ministry and the request was granted.
Machaya, as chairperson of the provincial lands committee, allegedly made a request of commonage allocation from the 3 000 stands, which entitled him to receive 10% of the allocated stands in line with the Commonage Law.
The State further alleges that during the period between 2011 and 2017, Machaya abused his powers and demanded 1 000 residential stands well knowing that he was supposed to get only 300 stands.
As a result Gokwe Town Council lost revenue in respect of 700 stands.
It is further alleged that Machaya hired a private land developer, Striations World Marketing Property Developers, to service the stands.