Justice Ngoni Nduna ordered the two city officials to
reside at their declared home addresses, surrender their passports, and report
weekly to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
Additionally, Cllr Moyo, the chairperson of the Bulawayo
City Council (BCC) Finance Development Committee, was required to surrender the
title deeds to his house.
The two appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Shepherd Mjanja
on Friday, where the case was remanded to December 13, 2024.
According to state representative Brenda Nyoni, the charges
stem from events between October 10 and November 14, 2024.
During this period, Cllrs Ndlovu and Moyo allegedly
demanded a bribe from Tsitsi Mapfumo, the coordinator of Labenmon Investments
(Private) Limited, a Chinese company, as a “reward” for facilitating the
allocation of 5.6 hectares of land in the Umvumil Industrial area for the
construction of a cement mixing plant.
Nyoni told the court that in November 2023, Labenmon
Investments, through Mapfumo, had initially applied for 10 hectares of land but
was informed by the Town Planner, Mr. Mkhwebu, that no land was available. A
second application was submitted in April 2024 with further details about the
proposed project. On October 10, 2024, the council allocated 5.6 hectares for
the cement plant.
Following the allocation, Cllr Moyo allegedly visited
Mapfumo’s residence, informing her that BCC councillors expected a “reward” for
facilitating the decision. Cllr Moyo reportedly followed up with two phone
calls before visiting Mapfumo’s residence with Cllr Ndlovu to demand US$20 000,
explaining that the money was intended to compensate 20 councillors with
US$1000 each.
“Ndlovu listed the names of the 20 councillors and left the
list with the complainant. Feeling pressured by their demands, Mapfumo reported
the matter to ZACC. A trap was set, leading to the arrest of the accused,”
Nyoni said. CITE
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