Bulawayo’s Deputy Mayor, Edwin Ndlovu, and the Chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee, Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, have been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of bribery.
Ndlovu represents Ward 8, while Moyo represents Ward 26 on the Bulawayo City Council.
The two councillors are accused of demanding a bribe of US$20,000 from a company looking to invest in Bulawayo.
ZACC Communications Manager, Simiso Mlevu, confirmed the arrests and the nature of the allegations to Chronicle. She said:
… they demanded US$20,000 from Labenmon Investments as payment for facilitating approval for land to establish a cement mixing plant.
The circumstances are that, in November 2023, Tsitsi Mapfumo of Labenmon Investments made an unsuccessful application for 10 hectares of land from the Bulawayo City Council for a cement mixing plant.
Mlevu said Labenmon Investments resubmitted the application in April 2024 and was offered 5.6 hectares. She added:
After Labenmon Investments received an offer letter, the accused allegedly approached Mapfumo, demanding a reward of US$20,000 on behalf of 20 other Bulawayo City Council councillors for facilitating the approval.
A report was filed with ZACC, prompting the arrests of Ndlovu and Moyo. The two are currently being held at Mzilikazi Police Station and are expected to appear in court on Saturday.
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