News / National
Former Victoria Falls mayor convicted of fraud
12 Oct 2023 at 20:09hrs | Views
Former Victoria Falls Mayor Somveli Dlamini,who was facing fraud charges, has been convicted and remanded in custody until Friday when he will receive his sentencing.
Hwange regional magistrate Mr. Mark Dzira declared Dlamini guilty and ordered his remand in custody until the forthcoming Friday when his fate will be determined.
Dlamini, who chose not to contest his councillorship but ran for the Member of Parliament position for Hwange West in the August 23 election, which he ultimately lost, had previously been granted $50,000 bail by the High Court in Bulawayo in November of the prior year.
Before the High Court's decision, a Hwange magistrate had denied him bail, asserting that there was no assurance he wouldn't interfere with evidence if released.
Through his legal representative, Mr. Givemore Mvhiringi of Mvhiringi and Associates, Dlamini appealed to the High Court, where Justice Maxwell Takuva granted him bail, subject to certain reporting conditions.
Dlamini, a former councillor for Ward 9 in Victoria Falls, was apprehended by a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) special team on charges of fraud linked to a commercial plot valued at over US$90,000.
According to the prosecution, Dlamini falsely represented himself to the Victoria Falls City Council as Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko to acquire a plot, despite having already benefited from a plot allocation in the past.
The council's regulations stipulate that an applicant must not have previously received an allocation, purchased, or lost a plot through repossession. This complies with the government's directive that a housing applicant may benefit only once from any land scheme.
To circumvent this regulation, Dlamini misrepresented himself as Valentine Nyoni, from whom he allegedly purchased the plot. This incident occurred on August 15, 2022, when, in his capacity as mayor, Dlamini falsely and deliberately misrepresented himself as Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko, the individual from whom he had purportedly purchased Stand Number 1139 in the Wood Road Housing Scheme back in 2003.
The court heard that Dlamini was expected to pay a $25,000 deposit, but he only provided $10,000 and was supposed to pay the remainder within five days. Failing to raise the balance, Dlamini eventually paid ZW$7.5 million through a bank transfer.
ZACC, conducting an investigation into suspicions of corruption in the city, uncovered this anomaly, resulting in Dlamini's arrest. The local authority suffered a loss of $15,000 and faced a potential loss of $66,462.
Hwange regional magistrate Mr. Mark Dzira declared Dlamini guilty and ordered his remand in custody until the forthcoming Friday when his fate will be determined.
Dlamini, who chose not to contest his councillorship but ran for the Member of Parliament position for Hwange West in the August 23 election, which he ultimately lost, had previously been granted $50,000 bail by the High Court in Bulawayo in November of the prior year.
Before the High Court's decision, a Hwange magistrate had denied him bail, asserting that there was no assurance he wouldn't interfere with evidence if released.
Through his legal representative, Mr. Givemore Mvhiringi of Mvhiringi and Associates, Dlamini appealed to the High Court, where Justice Maxwell Takuva granted him bail, subject to certain reporting conditions.
According to the prosecution, Dlamini falsely represented himself to the Victoria Falls City Council as Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko to acquire a plot, despite having already benefited from a plot allocation in the past.
The council's regulations stipulate that an applicant must not have previously received an allocation, purchased, or lost a plot through repossession. This complies with the government's directive that a housing applicant may benefit only once from any land scheme.
To circumvent this regulation, Dlamini misrepresented himself as Valentine Nyoni, from whom he allegedly purchased the plot. This incident occurred on August 15, 2022, when, in his capacity as mayor, Dlamini falsely and deliberately misrepresented himself as Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko, the individual from whom he had purportedly purchased Stand Number 1139 in the Wood Road Housing Scheme back in 2003.
The court heard that Dlamini was expected to pay a $25,000 deposit, but he only provided $10,000 and was supposed to pay the remainder within five days. Failing to raise the balance, Dlamini eventually paid ZW$7.5 million through a bank transfer.
ZACC, conducting an investigation into suspicions of corruption in the city, uncovered this anomaly, resulting in Dlamini's arrest. The local authority suffered a loss of $15,000 and faced a potential loss of $66,462.
Source - The Chronicle
