Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Check Point Desk
A SENIOR Bulawayo City Council (BCC) official has been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on 107 counts of fraud involving the theft of nearly 7 000 litres of diesel worth more than US$10 000.
Peter Dube (57), a senior supervisor in the BCC Fire and Ambulance Services Department is facing 107 counts of fraud related to the theft of 6 978 litres of diesel between 2022 and 2024. He appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Shepherd Munjanja last Friday and was released on US$300 bail.
Zacc spokesperson, Ms Simiso Mlevu, confirmed the arrest and said Dube was charged with fraud as defined under Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
She said Dube, who was allocated a command vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser registration number AMB 005, allegedly exploited his access to council fuel depots by double-dipping at two fuelling points on the same day.
According to Zacc investigations, Dube would first fill the vehicle at Khami Stores fuel depot, then drain the fuel before proceeding to the Famona fuel pump where he would claim he had not fuelled earlier. His subordinates, believing his word, would refuel the vehicle again.
Ms Mlevu said the fraud was exposed following investigations, including interviews with fuel attendants, retrieval of fuel allocation records, vehicle logbooks and an audit commissioned by the BCC.
“Between August 2022 and November 2024, Mr Dube repeated this process on 107 occasions, drawing diesel ranging between 50 and 100 litres per visit depending on the need to refill his two-tank vehicle,” she said.
Ms Mlevu said to conceal the scam, Dube claimed that the vehicle’s odometer was not functional, preventing fuel attendants from verifying distances travelled since the last refuelling.
“The scam resulted in the theft of 6 978 litres of diesel, prejudicing the city council and as a result of the misrepresentation, the local authority suffered a total prejudice of US$10 187,88,” she said.
As part of his bail conditions, Dube was ordered to report once a week to the nearest police station, not to interfere with witnesses and to continue residing at his given address. He is expected back in court on May 30. He has since been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the court proceedings.
The case comes amid growing public scrutiny over the use of public resources in Local Government, particularly in urban centres where residents have long decried deteriorating service delivery, including erratic refuse collection, burst sewer pipes and water rationing.
Fuel allocations for essential services such as fire and ambulance response are a critical part of council operations. The alleged theft of fuel from the Fire and Ambulance Services Department, a vital emergency response unit, raises serious questions about internal control systems and oversight within council departments.
Recent Zacc reports have cited fuel theft, abuse of procurement procedures and payroll fraud as among the most common corruption issues plaguing local authorities across the country.
In March this year, the Local Government and Public Works Ministry directed all councils to tighten internal controls and implement biometric attendance systems to curb ghost workers and other forms of administrative fraud.
