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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter

Five Rusape municipal councillors, all from the MDC Alliance, have been arrested on charges of criminal abuse of office, joining urban councillors from Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Chitungwiza, again all from MDC Alliance, now on remand for allegedly being implicated in massive land scams or by-passing required tender procedures in procurement.

The five are accused of selecting high-priced lawyers and then spending $2,5 million on a disciplinary matter without going through the normal tender and selection process.

The arrested Rusape councillors are ward 1 councillor Patrick Chipere (51), ward 4 councillor Elizabeth Chidza (43), ward 9 councillor Luckson Zengeni (43), ward 3 councillor Joseph Nyamupera (59) and ward 7 councillor Ndabanengi Mataga (38).

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said they were arrested on Tuesday night.

“The accused persons working in connivance passed a resolution to by-pass the Procurement Act,” he said. 

“The resolution was then used to hand-pick lawyers Mugiya and Muchadehama who then offered legal services worth $1 300 000 ignoring procurement threshold and tendering process, thereby showing favour to the hand-picked lawyers.”

Government policy states that hiring of certain services is done through a tender. 

The tenders go through adjudication process, with a full council meeting making the final resolution.

Well-placed sources said under the aid of the late former Mutare town clerk Joshua Maligwa, the councillors connived to hand-pick the lawyers to conduct the disciplinary hearings of former Rusape town secretary Solomon Gabaza without going to tender.

A chain of hearings was held at Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, with the services alleged to have gobbled $2,5 million of ratepayers’ money.