Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has arrested a senior official from the Victoria Falls City Council as efforts to tackle alleged corruption among local authority officials intensify.
Last week, Zacc apprehended Brian Nyamande, the Director of Housing for the Victoria Falls City Council, for corruptly issuing an offer letter and allocating a stand without following due procedures.
Nyamande appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Miss Nomagugu Maphosa on Friday, October 11, facing charges of corruptly using a false document as outlined in the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The magistrate granted him US$200 bail.
On Monday, Nyamande’s case was moved to the Hwange Provincial Court where he appeared on Thursday to face the same charges.
He was remanded out of custody and is scheduled to return to court on November 15 for the commencement of trial. Nyamande is represented by Mr Zibusiso Ncube of Ncube and Partners Legal Practitioners.
The court heard that Nyamande issued a false document by providing a private company with an offer letter for a stand. It is the State’s case that he falsely claimed that an application letter for the stand existed, despite knowing that no such letter had been submitted. Additionally, he issued the offer letter without the necessary council approval.
According to the court documents, “On a date unknown to the prosecutor but during the period from September 2016 to December 2021, at the Victoria Falls City Council Housing Offices, Nyamande, acting in the capacity of Director of Housing, intentionally and unlawfully drafted an offer letter for Rutabaga Private Marketing for stand number 1537 in Victoria Falls.
“The letter contained a false statement that read, ‘Pursuant to your application for a residential stand number 1537 Victoria Falls Township measuring 5195 square metres,’ well knowing that Rutabaga Marketing had not made such an application for the stand,” the court documents noted.
It is further alleged that during that period, no council resolution to allocate stand number 1537 had been passed.
Nyamande was fully aware that the offer letter contained false statements intended to deceive the Victoria Falls City Council. As a result of this deception, the offer letter was filed for stand number 1537, and a copy was issued to Rutabaga Private Marketing, falsely representing them as the rightful owner. — @nyeve14
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