Chabaya is
jointly charged together with Chivi District Schools Inspector (DSI) Evershine
Ndongwe who allegedly claimed US$355 in allowances and fuel for a trip to
Bulawayo to collect a new 72-seater bus procured from Vordim Bus Company in
Bulawayo by Ngundu High.
Ndongwe is also
mentioned in another case where he is allegedly involved in a matter where
Masvingo Provincial Education Director Shylatte Mhike and the Provincial
Education Finance Director Liniah Chinoda are facing charges of making false
Travel and Allowance claims.
Magistrate
Franklin Mkwananzi refused to place the suspects on remand after the State said
it was not ready to start trial today. He said that the duo would be called to
court by way of summons. State Prosecutor Godknows Mugondo said the State is
not ready for trial because there are documents that crucial for the case that
ZAAC is yet to serve them with.
Zivai Tinago
who is Ngundu High School Development Committee (SDC) chairperson is the
complainant representing the State.
Chabaya and Ndongwe are being represented by Takunda Chikwati of Matutu and Mureri Legal Practitioners.
It is the State
case that Chabaya was at one time head at Ngundu High School in Chivi before he
was transferred to Chongogwe Secondary. Sometime in January 2024, Ngundu High
needed to collect a bus it had procured from Vordim Bus Company in Bulawayo.
With the
guidance of Chabaya who was now head at Chongogwe, Ngundu SDC and the school
Administration resolved to send 9 officials including Ndongwe to collect the
bus from Bulawayo.
Chabaya who
allegedly has remained a signatory to Ngundu High Bank Account even after
leaving the school allegedly signed for the withdrawal of US$1 983 for the
trip. Of that amount US$525 was for Chabaya and Ndongwe.
Ndongwe
allegedly received US$200 for fuel and US$155 for T&S. It is not clear in
the court papers whether this T&S was just for a day. Chabaya received
US$170 as T&S. The US$200 was later broken into US$100 each for fuel but
the court papers indicate that the duo used one vehicle to Bulawayo.
However, the
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission discovered that Ndongwe went on to make the
same allowance claims at his workstation hence the fraud charges.
“The school
accountant Ranganai Muchemedzi and the SDC vice chairperson Retty Mutete
withdrew the money from the bank. It was agreed that Muchemedzi and Mutete
would meet Chabaya at Chibi turn off where Muchemedzi handed over US$525 to
Chabaya. Of the amount, US$155 was for Ndongwe’s T & S and US$200 for fuel
expenses while US$170 was for Chabaya’s Travelling and Subsistence allowance
for the same trip to Bulawayo.
“In February
last year, Muchemedzi asked for receipts for fuel from Chabaya through Tapiwa
Mapindani, the accountant at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
Chivi district so as to acquit the US$200.
“When the two
heard about the request for the receipts, they allegedly hatched a plan and
acquired two receipts of US$100 for diesel each from an undisclosed Canrid
Service Station in the name of Better Schools Programme Chivi district as the
buyer. Chabaya submitted the receipts to Muchemedzi to purport that the US$200
was used to purchase fuel for the trip.
“They were
arrested by ZACC,” reads the court papers. Masvingo Mirror
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