Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Investigations Desk
A Bulawayo City Council clerical officer has reportedly gone AWOL after allegedly colluding with a local church to defraud the council of US$2,072 through fraudulent bookings of the City Hall for church services.
According to the council’s internal audit report, the church —exploited weak internal controls, using the Large City Hall five times without payment, causing a confirmed loss of US$2,072.05. The probe was triggered after the Town Clerk’s office flagged concerns over the legitimacy of the church’s bookings.
Auditors uncovered that receipt 0151638434 was used twice: once legitimately, then fraudulently. On 21 June 2024 at 14:22, the church paid US$415 for hall hire, receiving the receipt without specified dates or times. Two days later, security officer Mr Maickel Ndlovu logged the receipt, recording a booking from 10:00 to 14:00—details absent from the original receipt. The booking for 23 June was pencilled in, signalling unpaid fees.
On 14 July 2024, the same receipt resurfaced on CS Form 573, fraudulently extending the hall’s use by an hour. Further scrutiny revealed receipt 0141590226 was also duplicated.
During interviews, Mr Charamba admitted to “unknowingly” reusing receipts, claiming he received them from council officer Mr Busani Nyoni in exchange for local currency transactions. He pledged to repay the council.
The audit also exposed discrepancies in 2023 bookings: the church used council halls 25 times but paid for only six. While the church paid ZWL 7,415,659.46 in bulk payments, this exceeded the actual fees of ZWL 3,920,254.16. The report warned: “Discrepancies raise suspicion of possible money laundering if not linked to system failures in adjusting for exchange rates or policy changes.”
More details to follow…
Online Reporter