Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
THREE Chipinge Town Council employees were this week arrested on criminal abuse of office for allegedly selling a prime commercial stand to a local businessman for US$5 000 behind the local authority’s back.
The accused employees, Cliff Chipiro (39), who is a survey technician, Promise Mlambo (40), an Information and Technology assistant and Wisdom Sithole (29), a revenue collector, appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Mr Nickson Mangoti.
The three were represented by Mr Admire Nkulumba, of Mhungu Law Firm.
The trio was released on US$500 bail each, and ordered not to interfere with State witnesses or leave their given addresses until the conclusion of the case.
Prosecutor, Mr Isaac Tangwena said the three council employees, allegedly working with two other unnamed employees now on the run, extorted US$5 000 from Mr Emmanuel Sigauke for an unclaimed commercial stand.
They allegedly created an account for the stand in the council system using another employee’s login details without her knowledge or consent.
“On a date unknown to the prosecutor, but during the month of August 2024, Chipiro and Mlambo who are all employees of Chipinge Town Council approached Emmanuel Sigauke, a local businessman in Chipinge town with two other unknown accused persons, who are still at large and offered to assist him to purchase an unclaimed commercial stand.
“Chipiro and Mlambo demanded and collected US$3 000 from Sigauke for the allocation of the stand. Chipiro and Mlambo approached Sithole, who is also the Chipinge Town Council employee attached to the Information and Technology Department to create an account for the said commercial stand using the logging credentials of Nyarayi Wevhu, also a council employee, without her consent.
“In November 2024, the accused persons went on to demand and collected another US$2 000 from Sigauke for the verification purposes of the commercial stand. That is when it was established that the stand was not in the Chipinge Town Council electronic system. Instead of the accused persons following proper procedure on the allocation of stands, they showed favour to Sigauake contrary to their duties or functions as Chipinge Town Council employees.
The accused persons converted the US$5 000 into their own use,” said Mr Tangwena. Mr Mangoti remanded the trio to January 22.
