TSHOLOTSHO Rural District Council Communal Areas Management Programmes for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) manager and the director of DAP Diesel Injection and Electrical Company in Bulawayo were on Wednesday convicted of defrauding the local authority of $32 000.
SILAS NKALA STAFF REPOPRTER Their co-accused, the council’s finance officer Martin Framer Ndlovu, was found not guilty and acquitted.
According to the State, the TRDC released $56 000 for the purchase of two vehicles for Campfire programmes and the two used $24 000 to buy two old vehicles and converted the remaining $32 000 to their own use.
Campfire manager Jericho Moyo of Efusini in Tsholotsho and Ndlovu of the same township as well as DAP director Kennias Msipa Zangari of Nketa in Bulawayo were all denying the charges when they appeared before magistrate Rose Dube at the start of the trial four years ago.
After a full trial, the magistrate convicted Moyo and Zangari and found Ndlovu not guilty.
Moyo was cited as first accused, Zangari and Ndlovu as second and third accused respectively.
In a judgment read on her behalf by Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove, Dube said the three officials got involved in the fraud case emanating from Campfire vehicle purchases.
“Accused one was employed as a manager in which he was involved in the Campfire programmes and signing for the funding of the programmes.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Accused two was the finance officer responsible for the payment of money which was supposed to be paid in accordance with the chief executive’s directive and accused three is a community member who could be contracted by the council at times to repair cars,” Dube said.
“It is clear that the vehicles were bought.
“It is clear $56 000 was withdrawn to purchase the vehicles from the campfire account.
“It is common cause that the money was given to accused three and the tender process was not followed in purchasing of the vehicles.
“Two vehicles were bought from different garages, one at $11 000 and the other at $13 000, making the total purchase price of $24 000.
“No receipts were submitted to council by Campfire to show how much the vehicles were bought for.”
She said it was clear that Moyo and Zangari worked together to benefit from the purchase of the vehicles.
The matter was further remanded for mitigation and sentence after Mushove indicated that the magistrate dealing with the case is the one supposed to hear their mitigation and pass sentence.
Former Tsholotsho senator Believe Gaule was the complainant in the case.
