Recalled Victoria Falls Councillor appears in court

Recalled Ward 10 councillor Nkanyiso Sibindi appeared before the Victoria Falls Magistrates' Court on Friday facing a charge of malicious damage to property after he allegedly destroyed a council laptop during a tense council meeting.

Sibindi, who was recently recalled from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), was granted bail of US$300 by Magistrate Ms Fadzai Dzimiri.

According to the State, the incident occurred on June 4, 2026, at around 5:30pm during an ordinary council meeting at the Victoria Falls City Council Chambers.

Prosecutor Ms Audrey Mukanganya told the court that the Town Clerk, Ronnie Dube, read a ministerial letter announcing the recall of three councillors, including Sibindi.

Following the announcement, Mayor Councillor Prince Thuso Moyo reportedly directed the recalled councillors to leave the council chambers. When they allegedly refused to comply, the mayor instructed the council's Chief Security Officer to enforce the directive.

The court heard that Sibindi challenged the authenticity of the recall and refused to leave, prompting police intervention.

"The accused person then indicated that he is not leaving the Chambers stating that the recall was not genuine which led the intervention of the police. The accused person later jumped over the Boardroom table and struck the Victoria Falls City Council's HP Laptop Core i5 on the ground and jumped on top thereby causing damage to it," Ms Mukanganya told the court.
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She said Sibindi was subsequently arrested and taken to Victoria Falls Police Station.

Prosecutors allege that the damaged HP Core i5 laptop, belonging to the Victoria Falls City Council and represented in the matter by Ronie Mehluli Moyo, was valued at US$975. The court heard that no repairs had been carried out.

"The value of the damaged property is USD$975-00 and no repairs have been made. The accused person acted unlawfully," the prosecutor said.

As part of his bail conditions, Sibindi was ordered not to interfere with State witnesses.

He is expected to return to court on a date yet to be announced.

Sibindi is among a number of CCC councillors recently recalled by the party's self-styled interim secretary-general, a development that has triggered political disputes and legal challenges in several local authorities across the country.