Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo Investigations Desk
A BULAWAYO City Council clerk has mysteriously vanished amid a jaw-dropping scandal involving Spirit Embassy Ministries and a US$2 072 City Hall fraud that’s shaken the municipality to its core.
According to a damning internal audit report, the shady scheme saw the popular church—fronted by Mr Somerai Charamba—abuse loopholes in council booking systems to hijack the Large City Hall five times without paying a cent.
The scam was exposed after the Town Clerk’s office raised red flags over suspicious bookings by Spirit Embassy. What followed was a paper trail of duplicated receipts, backdoor dealings, and vanished payments.
One receipt—0151638434—was used twice: once legitimately and once fraudulently. The church initially paid US$415, but the same receipt was later used to book another date, without additional payment. A second receipt—0141590226—was also duplicated, pointing to a well-rehearsed playbook of deception.
Investigators discovered that council staffer Mr Busani Nyoni, now AWOL, allegedly provided the receipts in exchange for local currency kickbacks. Church rep Mr Charamba admitted to “unknowingly” reusing receipts, but quickly offered to pay back the stolen funds when the audit net closed in.
But that’s not all.
In 2023, Spirit Embassy booked council venues 25 times—yet paid for only six! The church made bulk payments of ZWL 7.4 million, while the actual fees stood at just ZWL 3.9 million. Auditors suspect possible money laundering masked behind exchange rate confusion and policy loopholes.
Only in B-Metro — where dirty secrets get delivered in bold print!
