Former Chiredzi Town Council chairman Francis Moyo...

Former Chiredzi Town Council chairman Francis Moyo faces arrest

Zim Now Writer

A damning document detailing alleged graft at Chiredzi Town Council has landed the local authority’s former chairman, Francis Moyo into trouble with the law as he now faces arrest over allegations that he received 71 residential stands from the municipality and put them to his own use.

Two residents, Boniface Mutemachani, 65, of Hippo Valley Estates and Clemence Saidi, 67, of 1742 Javangwe in Ward 6 made the police report dated 23 January, 2023 and they have since instructed their lawyers Chadyiwa and Associates to pursue the matter.

The lawyers then wrote to the Officer-in-Charge Chiredzi Police Station on 25 January, 2023 which they copied Officer Commanding police in Chiredzi district and Officer Commanding police in Masvingo province, indicating that they were just watching on behalf of their clients.

Moyo faces charges of the abuse of duty as a public officer.

The former Chiredzi Town council chairman from 2013.

The document, which is titled Investigation Report on Chiredzi March – April 2016 was released after the United Chiredzi Residents Association sued Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo, demanding the report.

The report showed massive looting of council and commonage stands, alleged payment of secret allowances to councillors and council officials.

It also detailed shady deals between land barons and the local authority.

The document also showed that seven other councillors at the municipality received 46 residential stands each, turning themselves into land barons.

The lawyers’ letter says that the two residents to the course of action because; “the findings of the commission clearly show that ordinary residents of Chiredzi Town Council have been and continue to prejudiced by certain acts of commission or omission by the then council chairman”.

Mutemachani says that Francis Moyo must be arrested for disposing 10 percent commonage stands and gave them to Justin Chauke Housing Cooperative. He is also accused of presiding over a meeting in which he was allocated 71 stands and the councillors under him 46 stands each. He was also driving a council vehicle when he was supposed to be driven by a council driver.

Saidi also repeats the same allegations in his statement to the police but he also accused Moyo of allowing the local authority to sign a flawed land agreement with a land development company, Shineplus.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Kudakwashe Dhewa could not be reached for comment but his phone was going unanswered .