Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau Chief
FORMER Town Clerk of Gweru City Council Daniel Matawu has been arrested for the second time by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on allegations of fraud.
Matawu yesterday appeared before Gweru magistrate Mr Progress Murandu facing charges of defrauding the local authority of US$120 000.
The charges emanate from alleged illegal subdivision and sale of stands on reserved State land prejudicing the local authority of US$120 000.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded to 1 October on ZW$10 000 bail.
The State represented by Miss Margret Mukucha, is alleging that in 2013 council decided to turn a Golf Course in Mkoba 4 suburb into residential stands and Matawu was supposed to seek Government approval for this but he did not.
The procedure is that when council intends to convert an open space such as a Golf course which is State land into residential stands, it submits layout plans to the department of Physical Planning and then seek approval of the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
The council should first make a resolution stating its intention to convert the identified open space and then submit its application to the Minister through the Provincial Planning Officer for assessment of the proposed change.
The Provincial Planning Officer then submits the layout plans to the Chief Director for further assessment and the Chief Director will advertise the intention through the local paper as per section 49 of regional and Town and Country Planning Act. The Minister can approve or reject the application and the council is advised accordingly.
Matawu allegedly working in connivance with the then director of Engineering Services Jones Nanthambwe and his deputy Ivan Muzondo who are both late, did not submit the layout plans or apply for change of use of the open space as required.
They subdivided the State land and sold five stands (7342, 7447, 7449, 7463 and 7464) withotut Government approval.
Both Matawu and Nanthambwe are alleged to have undersized stand 7464 to 3 400 square metres but upon inspection, the stand was measuring 8 789 square metres thereby showing favour to the beneficiary. In total, they sold land measuring 22 389 square metres.
The state says Matawu’s responsibility was to make sure that proper procedures were followed before parcelling out State land. What he did was therefore contrary to or inconsistent with his duties as a public officer, the state alleges.
This is the second time that Matawu has been arrested by ZACC for offences he is alleged to have committed while in office.
In November last year Matawu appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Miriam Banda facing two counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer involving US$78 000.
He was again granted ZW$10 000 bail.
Online Reporter