SYDNEY NCUBE
Mirror Reporter
ZVISHAVANE – Three senior Zvishavane Town Council employees namely; Town Secretary Tinoda Mukutu, Housing Director Nhlanhla Ngwenya and Engineer Dominic Mapwashike have had their application to be removed from remand denied by a Zvishavane magistrate.
The application was thrown out on Tuesday by Magistrate Evia Matura as she remanded them further to March 28, 2022.
The trio is facing charges of criminal abuse of office after allegedly flouting tender procedures.
They are accused of re-awarding a construction company a tender after the same company failed to complete the job for the first time.
It is the State case that in 2016 council entered into a partnership with JM Constructions, a construction company for the servicing of 27 CBD extension stands and the work was for two years but the time lapsed resulting in the termination of the contract.
In 2019 the trio connived and contrary to and inconsistent with their duties, gave the same construction company the go ahead to continue with the contract without going through a tender process which was unlawful.
They trio was arrested in May 2021 and are out on $30 000 bail each and ordered to reside at their given addresses, not to interfere with witnesses as well as report to Zvishavane CID every fortnight with their travel documents surrendered.
The State represented by Hilda Sibanda said that the matter is a regional matter hence her instructions is to remand them to 28 March 2022.https://masvingomirror.com