MP FACES $43K THEFT CHARGE

KARIBA legislator and former Nyaminyami Rural District Council chief executive Isaac Mackenzie has appeared in court for alleged theft of trust property involving a car and over $43 000. Mackenzie (49) appeared before Chinhoyi regional magistrate Mr Amos Mbobo yesterday facing four counts of theft of trust property charges. He allegedly committed the offences while still chief executive of the council.

Mackenzie, through his lawyers, applied for an extension on grounds that they needed more time to go through the State papers and prepare their defence. Mr Mbobo acceded and remanded Mackenzie to November 23 for trial, despite opposition from prosecutor Mr Trustmore Mukarati. Allegations against Mackenzie arose between December 2005 and August 2013 when he resigned from council.

On the first count, the former CEO received $19 300 lease fees from Tiger Bay Resort and allegedly converted it to his own use. The alleged theft is said to have occurred between November 20, 2011 and March 26, 2013. On the second count, Mackenzie allegedly received lease fees amounting to $18 000 from Terrence Hoal Lodges and did not hand over the money to council’s treasury department. The theft allegedly occurred between June 3, 2011 and June 13, 2013.

Mackenzie allegedly collected a further $6 600 in hunting fees from Track A Hunt Safaris between June 28, 2010 and February 28, 2011 and retained it for his personal use. On the fourth count, he allegedly took a council Land Rover valued at $13 000 purportedly for repairs at Platinum Haulage in 2010 and did not surrender it even when he resigned on August 31, 2013. The matters came to light when council wrote to the affected organisations demanding lease and hunting fees and it was advised that the same had been paid to Mackenzie. They produced receipts that showed Mackenzie had collected the money on behalf of council. Mackenzie was the chief accounting officer and his task involved supervision of all heads of departments and overseeing council operations. Herald

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