ZACC arrests Zanu-PF MP

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested ruling party legislator Joel Sithole, the Zanu-PF Member of Parliament for Chiredzi South, over allegations of abusing public funds through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Sithole is accused of diverting more than ZWG$1.2 million, specifically ZWG$1,234,150 (about US$50,000), that had been allocated by Parliament in August 2025 for development projects in his constituency.

The funds were intended for the construction of a classroom block and the roofing of staff houses at Gwaseche Primary School, as well as upgrades to Makanani Clinic. However, investigators allege that Sithole, who chaired the constituency's CDF committee and was a signatory to its bank account, misappropriated the funds for personal use.

Prosecutors claim that he, acting in common purpose with Edson Chauke, who remains at large, transferred ZWG$850,000 from the CDF account to a local wholesaler under the pretext of purchasing groceries. He is further alleged to have spent an additional ZWG$418,516 on groceries, hotels and beer halls.

Authorities say that in an apparent attempt to conceal the alleged misappropriation, Sithole later purchased 100 bags of cement and some roofing materials for another school to create the impression that development projects had commenced.

The legislator is expected to appear before the Masvingo Magistrates' Court on March 26, 2026, as investigations continue.