adminMhlanga (43), of House Number 22712 Pumula South, was not formally charged with contravening Sections 174 (1) (a) and 113 (2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act when he appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Mr Shepherd Mjanja.
He was remanded to 15 March on $400 bail.
The court further ordered him to reside at his given address until the finalisation of his case and he should surrender his passport to the Clerk of the Criminal Court.
He was ordered to report to Hillside Police Station on Tuesdays every week and should not interfere with State witnesses at Bulawayo Plumbers Suppliers, Alex Plumbers and Silver Sharp Suppliers.
The court heard that Pumula constituency received $50 000 under the Constituency Development Fund and the money was deposited into a Metropolitan Bank account. It is the State case that between 2 December 2010 and 28 February last year, Mhlanga as a public officer and in the exercise of his functions as such and contrary to his duties for the purpose of showing favour or disfavour to any person, allegedly caused the transfer of $39 147 into Bulawayo Plumbers Suppliers’ Stanbic Bank account.
The company is owned by him and his wife.
It is the State case that he caused $9 000 to be deposited into Alex Plumbers’ NMB Bank account and Silver Sharp Suppliers’ NMB account.
The companies are owned by his friends.
The State alleges that Mhlanga caused the transfer of the funds before he had identified the projects that needed assistance in his constituency and even their requirements.
He allegedly did not disclose to the Constituency Development Fund committee that he owned Bulawayo Plumbers Suppliers and that he is known to the other suppliers.
Some of the material was later delivered and $7 618 worth of material cannot be accounted for by Bulawayo Plumbers Suppliers and material worth $1 529 that was supposed to come from Alex Plumbers has not been accounted for, the State alleges.
He allegedly did not consult the CDF committee on procurement and purchase of the material as is required by the CDF guidelines.
The money involved is $47 947.
Mr Masimba Saruwaka appeared for the State while Mr Liberty Mcijo, of Lazarus and Sarif defended Mhlanga.
The arrest of Mhlanga brings to three the number of MPs arrested so far for abusing CDF.
On Wednesday, Magunje legislator Franco Ndambakuwa (Zanu-PF) appeared in court facing two counts of fraud and three of theft involving more than $49 000.
According to indictment papers, Magunje lost $49 304 to Ndambakuwa (52). He is out on $500 bail.
Last week, St Mary’s legislator Marvellous Khumalo (MDC-T) appeared in court for allegedly diverting the CDF money to personal use.
The MP is reported to have bought himself a lorry before pocketing part of the money.
Khumalo (36) was not formally charged when he appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma who remanded him out of custody to March 7 on $300 bail.
Khumalo is facing a charge of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer and three counts of theft.
Online Reporter