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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
A former MDC-T councillor has been arrested after he allegedly defrauded Masvingo City councillors and employees of 50 residential stands worth $200 000 that he sold and allocated to his relatives, including children.
Misherk Gapare, the former councillor for Ward 8 in Masvingo City, has since appeared in court charged with fraud.
Gapare, who was represented by Mr Martin Mureri of Matutu, Kwirira and Associates, was not asked to plead when he appeared before provincial magistrate Mr Oliver Mudzongachiso on Tuesday.
Mr Mudzongachiso remanded Gapare out of custody to July 12 on $200 bail.
Ms Makaita Chikamhi prosecuted.
Gapare was asked to report once every Friday at Masvingo CID Serious Frauds.
The State is alleging that sometime in 2012 when Gapare was still Masvingo City councillor, Messrs Wellington Mahwende and Goddard Dunira, who are in the business of developing and selling housing stands, offered 50 stands to the city council.
The stands were supposed to be distributed among councillors and council employees.
The state alleges that Gapare, who chaired the public works portfolio in council, approached Messrs Dunira and Mahwende with a list of names of people he claimed to be councillors and council employees.
He was allegedly given 50 residential stands some of which he allocated to his relatives, including children as young as seven years-old while others were sold.
Messrs Mahwende and Dunira later discovered that Gapare had duped them.
They gave council an additional 40 stands to fulfil their promise to the city.
Online Reporter