Zimpapers Logo

cleared of the charges. Jinga (43), of Tigere village in Gadzingo communal lands and Tozvireva (47) of Mpandawana in Gutu were acquitted by Gutu resident magistrate Mr Nyasha Vitorini of the criminal abuse of office after a full trial last week.

Mr Vitorini threw out the charges against the pair owing to lack of incriminating evidence from the State’s two key witnesses. The State, led by Ms Beatrice Mukaro had led evidence from the two star witnesses Masvingo provincial administrator Mr Felix Chikovo and Gutu district administrator Mr Roy Hove but Mr Vitorini ruled that their evidence was not enough to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

Charges against Jinga and Tozvireva were that sometime in June last year the Gutu RDC flighted a tender for a water reticulation project in Munhende and Chomufuli residential areas at Mpandawana growth point.

The State alleged that the council’s finance committee, which was adjudicating on the tenders resolved that a company that would have won the tender should not be paid a deposit before work started.

The State further alleged that after three days the water reticulation tender was awarded to Bruvoc Construction and the pair allegedly colluded to facilitate payment of about US$103 000 as deposit. This was alleged to be in violation of the rules and regulations that had been agreed upon by a full council meeting that no deposit would be paid before work started.

A report was made to the Gutu district administrator Mr Hove who then informed the police leading to the pair’s arrest. Jinga, who was elected councillor in 2008 under an MDC-T ticket recently crossed the floor to the Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC formation.

He is on suspension after Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo ordered him to stop reporting for work until he has appeared before a disciplinary committee for a pending corruption case.