Former Mayor, Acting Town Clerk in Court Over US$...

Former Mayor, Acting Town Clerk in Court Over US$20 Million Scandal

Zim Now Writer

Former Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni and ex-acting town clerk Josephine Ncube have appeared in court facing charges of criminal abuse of duty.

Ncube, 64, of Greendale, served as Acting Town Clerk for the City of Harare from 2015 to 2017, while Manyenyeni, 60, of Borrowdale West, held the mayoral office from 2013 to 2018. The two were arraigned at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts and are scheduled to return on May 14.

According to the State, on September 15, 2017, at the Town House offices, the accused unlawfully signed an addendum to an agreement with Shelter Zimbabwe, granting the company authority to allocate and sell 1,500 residential stands at Donnybrook Farm in Mabvuku.

This, the court heard, was done without a council resolution and in violation of a prior 2016 agreement which stated that Shelter Zimbabwe was only responsible for servicing and developing the stands, while allocation and sales were to be handled by council.

Shelter Zimbabwe went on to sell the unserviced stands, reportedly earning a gross profit of US$20 million despite showing no capacity to carry out the required development.