Stanley Kazhanje

Stanley Kazhanje is a former Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) board chair. Kazhanje was sentenced to three years in jail for failure to declare to his principal, a US$10 000 personal transaction involving him and Intratrek Zimbabwe.

Conviction & Sentence

In September 2019, Kazhanje was convicted after a full trial by retired senior regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya and sentenced to three years in jail before suspending two years on condition of good behaviour. Kazhanje was convicted for failing to declare to the Zimbabwe Power Company, a US$10 000 personal transaction involving him and Intratrek Zimbabwe.

The magistrates court convicted him on the basis that by chairing ZPC board meetings without disclosing that he had rendered consultancy services to Intratrek in respect of the Gwanda Solar Project, Kazhanje had corruptly done so with the intention to deceive the power utility board.

He approached the High Court appealing the sentence. On 14 June 2021, the High Court on appeal found overwhelming evidence proving that he concealed his prior involvement in the Gwanda Solar Project.

On appeal, Justice Benjamin Chikowero sitting with Justice Felistus Chatukuta upheld the trial court’s decision.

In dismissing the appeal in its entirety on 14 June 2021, Justice Chikowero ruled that there was overwhelming documentary and oral evidence proving that Kazhanjje concealed his prior involvement in the Gwanda Solar Project.

On January 21, 2016, and under unclear circumstances, Kazhanje received US$10 000 into his First Capital Bank personal account from Intratrek’s CBZ Bank account.

Kazhanje failed to declare his interest and presided over a meeting where ZPC resolved to directly pay Intratrek subcontractors instead of terminating the contract. Kazhanje said the money was paid for past engineering consultancy services he had performed for Intratrek.

ZPC went on to pay about $4,4 million as advance payment despite Intratrek’s failure to fulfil its obligation.

In October 2019, Kazhanje had been was freed on bail pending appeal. Kazhanje, who was serving his sentence at Chikurubi Maximum Prison, was granted $1,000 bail by the Harare High Court.

A judge said his appeal had prospects of success. As part of his bail conditions, he was ordered to surrender his passport, reside at his Mt Pleasant home and to report every Friday at a police station.^[1]^[2]