US$9M FRAUD CASE: HRE TOWN CLERK DENIED BAIL

Talent Gore

HARARE Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango, who is facing fraud charges in a US$9 million case, will spend another TWO weeks in remand prison after he was denied bail yesterday.

He is expected back in court on August 22, pending finalisation of investigations.

Chisango is being charged together with the city’s principal contracts administrator, Artkins Mandaza, and they initially appeared in court in July.

Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa ruled that Chisango’s conduct, in respect of this case, was questionable and showed negligence.

“Court finds that the accused persons are facing a serious offence, there is a high likelihood that the State can secure a conviction,” Gofa said.

“The court also finds that if the duo is released on bail they will likely abscord trial.

“Court heard that if the accused persons are released on bail there will be social uprisings from the general public since the accused persons facilitated the tender to (Mike) Chimombe and (Moses) Mpofu’s company which failed to deliver services.”

Allegations are that in January, the City of Harare embarked on a rehabilitation scheme of street lighting along Harare roads in preparation for the 44th SADC Summit, which will be held in the capital this month. On March 15, the City published an invitation to tender.

Eleven companies — Donax Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Ship Tracks (Pvt) Ltd, Furbank Trading (Pvt) Ltd, Radiation Incorporation (Pvt) Ltd, Slowgrad Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, Syvern Investments (Pvt) Ltd, Onel Electrical Engineers (Pvt) Ltd, Boltgas International (Pvt) Ltd, Stoyna Computers (Pvt) Ltd, Juluka End Joint Venture (Pvt) Ltd and Exodus & Company (Pvt) Ltd — responded.

Juluka Endo Joint Venture, a company in which businessman Moses Mpofu has a majority shareholding, was disqualified after failing to meet the tender requirements.

However, Chisango and Mandaza, working in connivance with their accomplices, proceeded to unprocedurally award the tender of the remaining lots to Juluka End Joint Venture.

They disregarded their earlier decision to disqualify Juluka End Joint Venture for having failed to meet the bid requirements.

It is alleged that they awarded the tender to Juluka End Joint Venture, whose owners also own Synlak (Pvt) Ltd, a company which had been previously awarded a tender for a biogas digester in 2019 and failed to deliver.