Disgraced Dexter Nduna forced to withdraw from parking takeover

Former Zanu-PF legislator for Chegutu West, Dexter Nduna, has faced a significant setback in his attempted takeover of vehicle parking management in Harare and other cities, leading him to issue a public apology.

Nduna's company, Team Chapter, aimed to assume control of vehicle parking management from Harare's City Parking, which has become a lucrative revenue source for the Harare City Council. Recently appointed as Zanu-PF's resource mobilisation committee chairperson, Nduna's ambitions to dominate this sector have raised eyebrows.

In the days leading up to the planned takeover, Team Chapter advertised on social media, inviting unemployed youths to pay fees for training and recruitment as vehicle parking marshals. On Friday, Nduna announced that his Team Chapter marshals would begin managing vehicle parking in Harare.

However, sources revealed that Nduna was later summoned by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and ordered to cease his takeover attempts. Responding to the backlash, Nduna issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, apologising for his actions. He acknowledged that the deployment of Team Chapter operatives did not adhere to legal protocols and that the vetting process was incomplete. "I have pulled down the tweet that had deployment of Team Chapter operatives for the 7th of October because it hadn't followed the law to its fullest," he stated.

City Parking issued a warning to motorists, stating that the City of Harare had not engaged Nduna or his company for parking fee collection. They described Nduna's threat to disrupt parking operations as a menace to businesses and property laws, promising that any such actions would be met with legal action. "There is no place for anarchy, hooliganism, and lawlessness in Zimbabwe," City Parking emphasized, asserting that Nduna's behaviour tarnishes the image of the government and the political party he represents.

Zanu-PF director for information, Farai Marapira, could not be reached for comment, but he previously informed NewsDay that the party had not sanctioned Nduna's attempts to take over parking management. City Parking also stated that Nduna lacked the legal grounds to make such claims, urging the public to ignore his inflammatory statements and not risk their money by engaging with him or his associates.

Last week, Bulawayo City Council also dismissed Nduna's attempts to wrest control of vehicle parking management from Trendy Three Investments (TTI). Nduna recently attracted negative attention for fabricating his qualifications as a lawyer, posting celebratory images in a graduation gown for a degree he had not earned and allegedly trying to intimidate a law school into granting him a pass after failing his examinations.