adminWalter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
A BANKET headman, who tried to bribe Minister of State for Provincial Affairs (Mashonaland West) Cde Faber Chidarikire with $5 500 to influence the provincial lands committee to allow a former commercial farmer to continue operations, has been fined $2 000 for bribery.
Musarurwa Chiguvare (48) who is the headman for Village 7 at Cambria Farm in Banket appeared before Chinhoyi regional magistrate Mr Never Katiyo facing charges of bribery in contravention of a section of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
He was convicted on his own plea and fined $2 000 (or alternatively two years in jail).
Prosecutor Mr Lucky Dube proved that between October 29 and 31, Chiguvare visited Cde Chidarikire’s office with the intention of inducing him to influence the provincial lands committee as the chairperson to allow Mr Rolf Forester to continue farming at the farm.
On October 29, Chiguvare went to Cde Chidarikire’s office and gave him $1 000, saying it was coming from Forester to induce him into abusing his position to influence the lands committee to let him use the 48 hectares of land that he had been allocated illegally by the headman and the other 32 beneficiaries on the farm.
Chiguvare promised to come back for further negotiations on the matter.
The minister immediately made a report to the police.
The following day, Chiguvare came into his office and gave him a further $4 000, saying it was from Mr Forester.
Again the minister reported the matter to the police.
Chiguvare came back into Cde Chidarikire’s office the following day with $500, saying it was part of the total amount Mr Forester wanted to pay him for his facilitation role.
Cde Chidarikire called detectives who went to his office and recovered the $500 and the preceding amounts and then arrested Chiguvare.
The bribery attempt followed investigations by the provincial lands committee which established that the headman and 32 other plot holders had illegally allocated 48ha from the farm to Mr Forester.
Mr Forester had already planted tobacco on the land and the committee warned him to cease operations at the farm while the headman and his subjects were warned against overstepping their powers and wading into a role reserved for Government through the lands committee.
In passing sentence Mr Katiyo said President Mugabe was on record denouncing corruption and declaring zero tolerance to the scourge.
Online Reporter