Suspended Tsholotsho executives re-instated

TSHOLOTSHO Rural District Council chief executive officer, Mr Nkululeko Sibanda and finance executive, Dr Bryton Malandule, are now back in office after being suspended in December last year following their arrest on abuse of office allegations.

Mr Sibanda and Dr Malandule resumed their duties last month with consent from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, council chairperson, Councillor Rophas Ndlovu confirmed.

“The CEO and the executive finance are both back at work. We received communication from the Minister of Local Government and Public Works approving their return to work,” said Clr Ndlovu.

The duo was nabbed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) in December allegedly for abusing public funds in a borehole drilling contract and subsequently appeared before Tsholotsho provincial magistrate, Mr Thomas Gurajena, who remanded them out of custody on a ZWL$1,2 million bail.

They were also ordered to report to Tsholotsho police station once every last Friday of the fortnight, surrender their passports and not to interfere with investigations, evidence and witnesses.

Mr Sibanda and Dr Malandule were later put off remand with legal experts saying that position meant the State will now proceed by way of summons when ready for trial while the accused no longer had any bail conditions and were free to collect any money they had paid as bail and if on suspension, were to be re-instated without any loss to benefits.

Following their arrest, council invoked a directive from the ministry, which was issued in July 2022 that all senior council employees on charges relating to criminal abuse of office and whose cases have not been concluded must be suspended from doing their office duties.

The directive was given in terms of Section 313 of the Urban Council Act (Chapter 29:15) and Section 155 of the Rural Councils Act (Chapter 29:13).

In another development, Clr Ndlovu said the local authority had finished the interview process for the post of internal auditor following the resignation of then auditor, Mr Lovemore Ndlovu in January this year.

“We have gone through the interview process that council need to go through. We will then take the recommendations from the interviewing panel to the human resources committee and from a full council meeting on Friday (today) has to approve it and finally the recommendations will be sent to the Minister for consideration,” said Clr Ndlovu.