adminElizabeth Tsuro Midlands Reporter
GWERU mayor, Hamutendi Kombayi, his deputy Artwell Matyorauta and Town Clerk Daniel Matawu have been granted bail on charges of criminal abuse of office and theft.
Gweru Provincial Magistrate Phathekhile Msipa granted the trio $200 bail each after ruling that the state had failed to provide compelling reasons to deny them bail.
“Considering reasons on factors like absconding trial and interfering with witnesses the state failed to provide convincing reasons therefore your bail application has been granted,” she said.
As part of the bail conditions, the three were ordered to surrender their passports, not to interfere with state witnesses and to report at Gweru Central Police Station every Friday until the matter is finalised.
Kombayi, Matyorauta and Matawu will be back in court on April 15 for trial.
Prosecuting, Helen Khosa, alleged that between July 31, 2013, and June 30 last year, the three acted in common purpose and abused rate payers’ funds by making unlawful payments for private activities and functions.
“During that period the accused persons made a payment of $1,875 to Antelope Park and Resort and Fairmile Motel using rate payers’ funds to meet expenses for Morgan Tsvangirai and his entourage’s private function,” she said.
Khosa told the court that the trio also made an unauthorised payment of $6,858 to Fairmile and Village Lodge using rate payers’ funds to meet expenses related to their personal and private business bringing the total to $8,733.
derick.khumalo