Hwange council officials in court for selling US$2...

Hwange council officials in court for selling US$2m stand for US$20 000

Hwange Local Board town secretary Ndumiso Mdlalose and housing director Ananias Banda have been banned from the municipal offices pending outcome of their cases after they appeared in court last week facing charges of criminal abuse of office for allegedly selling an industrial stand worth US$2 million for US$20 000 to a coal processing company.

Mdlalose, 54 and Banda, 51, were arrested on Monday last week and appeared before Hwange magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Memory Munsaka told the court that the accused persons sold a 6-hectare industrial stand to Paarlweb Investments Pvt Ltd US$0.33 cents per square metre against a council resolution that set the price at US$33.06 per square metre.

Thus Paarlweb paid US$20 000 instead of the true value of US$1 983 600.
Munsaka presented that Paarlweb applied for 20ha on May 26, 2022.
On July 8 council resolved to place the issue on hold pending investigations by the Health, Housing and Community Services committee.

A special council board meeting on July 26 resolved to accept the application and to sell the stand at the prevailing market price.
Munsaka alleged that Mdlalose then generated a letter dated August 22, confirming that Paarlweb had purchased the stand and had met all council requirements, fulfilled payments and council was processing title deeds.
Then on August 29, Mdlalose allegedly wrote to Paarlweb Investments stating that council had proposed that Paarlweb make an initial deposit of US$20 000 with the outstanding amount to be paid in council projects over a period of five years.

The same letter was copied to Banda to allocate the stand.
On September 14, Banda instructed accounts clerk Prudencia Ngandu to generate an invoice for payment and Paarlweb paid US$24 045 on September 21, inclusive of administration fees and VAT.
A report was made to Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission by some residents and concerned stakeholders resulting in the anti-corruption body investigating the matter.

released the duo on and deferred the case to 16 June.

Mdlalose and Banda were released on $200 000 bail each and ordered not to visit their work stations until the finalisation of the case, among other conditions.

Original article appeared on CITE