Two-year jail term for Hartzell former head

HARTZELL High School former head, Shorwi Kawadza escaped a custodial sentence after he was sentenced to a two-year wholly suspended jail term for corruptly concealing personal interest in a transaction during his tenure at the United Methodist Church-run learning institution.

The jail term was suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence involving dishonesty.

Kawadza was convicted of contravening Section 173 (a) (i) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act), Chapter 9:23.

After taking into consideration mitigation from the defence counsel, Mr Victor Chinzamba of Mugadza, Chinzamba and Partners; as well as aggravating circumstances presented by Mutare District prosecutor, Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira, regional Mutare magistrate, Mrs Pethukile Msipa delivered the sentence last week on Friday.

Mr Mutyasira said during the period between 2019 and 2022, Mutrue Investments Private Limited — a company in which Kawadza is a co-director with his wife and son — was in the business of supplying firewood, tomatoes, peanut butter and vegetables to Hartzell High during the time he was the head of the school.

According to the United Methodist Church Operations Policies and Procedures Manual Section 2.0 Authorities Procedures, all business transactions between Mutrue Investments Private Limited and Hartzell High School became related party transactions and were supposed to have been authorised by the United Methodist Church Agencies of Annual Conference.

Mr Mutyasira said Kawadza, as the head of Hartzell High School, did not declare his personal interests in Mutrue Investments Private Limited to the United Methodist Church Agencies of Annual Conference, hence he had no approval to engage the company to supply of commodities to Hartzell High School.