News / Local
MDC-T administrator fired as Eddie Cross dismisses racist charge
19 Nov 2013 at 02:59hrs | Views
The MDC-T provincial administrator for Bulawayo has been fired following allegations that he mismanaged funds that were meant to be used to pay polling agents from the July election.
Nkululeko Ndhlovu had accused the Bulawayo South MP and MDC-T national executive member, Eddie Cross, of abusing him racially during a phone call about the funds. But according to Cross, the racial accusations surfaced only after he ordered an audit of party funds.
Cross told SW Radio Africa on Monday that he was "not happy with the way cash was managed by the party over the election period," and when Nkululeko did not respond to his queries, Cross asked for an audit.
"I asked for an audit that was carried out. He was found to have actually defrauded the party of several thousand dollars and he has now been dismissed. As soon as the audit took place he started attacking me," Cross explained.
He said Ndhlovu is a former police officer whose brother also works for the police in Bulawayo. According to Cross, the two "concocted" the charge against him, claiming that he racially abused Ndhlovu during a phone call.
"He in fact phoned me and he was abusive to me. I cut him off and then I told him I was not prepared to tolerate corruption and said as far as I was concerned he was a thief and he should be fired. And he been fired now," Cross added.
The Bulawayo South MP appeared in court last Friday to answer the charges filed by Ndhlovu, who alleges Cross said: "Black people shall never run this country properly. You are stupid and talking crap."
Defence lawyers insisted Cross was not guilty and challenged the section under which he was charged, saying he did not make any call to Ndlovu and could therefore not have violated Section 88 of the Post and Telecommunications Services Act, which criminalizes making a call and sending an offensive message.
Cross dismissed the case, saying: "That's the name of the game it goes with the political territory in Zimbabwe. First of all they've been trying to lock me up for a week. Now they are trying to embarrass me politically and I'm not the kind of target for that sort of thing."
Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove remanded the case until December 2nd, a date which Cross had requested himself. But the legislator said he fears it will be further remanded until next year, because the last legal case against him was remanded 49 times before being heard in court.
Meanwhile, Cross reported that he recently helped a widow from Tshabalala whose house was burnt down by Zanu-PF activists in March this year. Cross said the house is owned by the Council but they had no funds to rebuild it. So he approached a local company for help.
"It was done pro-bono. The management and staff from the company said they would do it for nothing. We turned the house over to her this Saturday. It was great to be able to help," Cross explained.
Nkululeko Ndhlovu had accused the Bulawayo South MP and MDC-T national executive member, Eddie Cross, of abusing him racially during a phone call about the funds. But according to Cross, the racial accusations surfaced only after he ordered an audit of party funds.
Cross told SW Radio Africa on Monday that he was "not happy with the way cash was managed by the party over the election period," and when Nkululeko did not respond to his queries, Cross asked for an audit.
"I asked for an audit that was carried out. He was found to have actually defrauded the party of several thousand dollars and he has now been dismissed. As soon as the audit took place he started attacking me," Cross explained.
He said Ndhlovu is a former police officer whose brother also works for the police in Bulawayo. According to Cross, the two "concocted" the charge against him, claiming that he racially abused Ndhlovu during a phone call.
"He in fact phoned me and he was abusive to me. I cut him off and then I told him I was not prepared to tolerate corruption and said as far as I was concerned he was a thief and he should be fired. And he been fired now," Cross added.
Defence lawyers insisted Cross was not guilty and challenged the section under which he was charged, saying he did not make any call to Ndlovu and could therefore not have violated Section 88 of the Post and Telecommunications Services Act, which criminalizes making a call and sending an offensive message.
Cross dismissed the case, saying: "That's the name of the game it goes with the political territory in Zimbabwe. First of all they've been trying to lock me up for a week. Now they are trying to embarrass me politically and I'm not the kind of target for that sort of thing."
Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove remanded the case until December 2nd, a date which Cross had requested himself. But the legislator said he fears it will be further remanded until next year, because the last legal case against him was remanded 49 times before being heard in court.
Meanwhile, Cross reported that he recently helped a widow from Tshabalala whose house was burnt down by Zanu-PF activists in March this year. Cross said the house is owned by the Council but they had no funds to rebuild it. So he approached a local company for help.
"It was done pro-bono. The management and staff from the company said they would do it for nothing. We turned the house over to her this Saturday. It was great to be able to help," Cross explained.
Source - SW Radio Africa
