Harare, ZIMBABWE
ZANU-PF Gokwe Sesame MP Gordon Chanda (41) and a
local councillor have been arrested for allegedly extorting money from
villagers and stealing maize meant for people under the Government’s food
relief programme.
Police in Gokwe said the MP handed himself over at
Gokwe Central Police Station yesterday morning while Ward 13 Councillor,
Goergina Chirongoma (34) was arrested on Monday night.
The duo appeared before Gokwe magistrate Mr
Shortgame Musaiwona facing charges of criminal abuse of office.
They were remanded out of custody to February 11 on
$1 000 bail each. Chirongoma had relaxed bail conditions while the MP was asked
to surrender his passport to the police. He was also asked to report twice
a week on Monday and Friday at Gokwe Police Station and reside at his
number 615 Nyaradza Gokwe house.
Prosecutor, Mr Liberty Chimwaradze said some time
in December last year, the two took advantage of their positions and organised
a meeting with village heads in Chirongoma’s ward.
They asked them to get people in the ward to
contribute $5 each saying the money was for the completion of Gande clinic
which was under construction in the ward. There are about 13 000
villagers in the ward.
Mr Chimwaradze said the village heads went out and
organised their subjects and collected $7 091 which was then handed over to the
two.
The court heard that it was subsequently discovered
that the construction of the clinic was being funded by Gokwe South Rural
District Council using devolution funds and the two had allegedly connived and
diverted the villagers’ money into their own use.
In the second count, Mr Chimwaradze said on
December 16 last year, Chirongoma went to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Gokwe
depot and collected 3 200 bags of maize which were meant to benefit villagers
under Government’s food relief programme.
The court heard that Chirongoma under-declared the
number of bags which were supposed to be dropped at each distribution centre in
her ward.
Investigations which were conducted by the police
showed that from the total number of bags that Chirongoma collected from GMB,
she underdeclared them by 120 bags of 50kg maize which were supposed to be
shared by the villagers.
Police recovered some of the maize at Chirongoma’s
house.
Mr Musaiwona said the matter involving the food aid
could not proceed since police had only managed to complete investigation into
one count involving 120 by 50 bags of maize yet there are allegations of more
counts.
“It is said there are more
counts to be investigated. Only one case of a haulage truck which had 120 bags said to have been abused was
completed and more investigations need to be completed. So this matter will
only be heard when the investigations are complete,” said the magistrate.
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