Bulawayo Mayor Unaware Of Bribery Allegations Against His Deputy Before Arrest
Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has said he was unaware of the bribery allegations against the city’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, and the Chairperson of the Council’s Finance and Development Committee, Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, before their arrest on Thursday night.
Ndlovu and Moyo, who represent Ward 8 and Ward 26 respectively, are accused of demanding a bribe of US$20,000 from a company seeking to invest in Bulawayo.
The two were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and are currently being held at Mzilikazi Police Station. They are expected to appear in court on Saturday.
In a post on X on Friday, Coltart revealed that he was first made aware of the allegations when the Town Clerk briefed him earlier that morning. Said Coltart:
This morning I was advised that the Deputy Mayor of Bulawayo Clr Edwin Ndlovu and the Chairperson of the BCC Finance Committee Clr Mpumelelo Moyo were arrested last night on allegations of corruption.
I was not aware of these allegations prior to the Town Clerk briefing me this morning. I await further information but the law must take its course.
I call for a thorough and fair investigation of these allegations. From the outset of my term as Mayor I have stated that we must adopt a zero tolerance policy towards corruption.
But allegations such as these must be investigated and tried through a fair, independent and professional judiciary.
According to ZACC Communications Manager, Simiso Mlevu, Ndlovu and Moyo demanded US$20,000 from Labenmon Investments as payment for facilitating approval for land to establish a cement mixing plant. She said:
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.
More: Pindula News
