SUSPENDED Chitungwiza municipality’s community services director Hezel Sithole, appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday charged with criminal abuse of office.
Sithole was granted $100 000 bail by magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Allegations are that sometime in 2019, Sithole allocated on lease to 30 beneficiaries, commercial stands at Makoni Business Centre, Chitungwiza on an area which was reserved as an open space from the master plan.
The State alleges that she went on to disregard the requirements of the Urban Councils Act which provides that a notice be published before any land owned by council is leased or sold.
It is alleged that she failed to adhere to the municipality’s land policy which stipulates that in allocating commercial and industrial stands, the director of housing and community services must follow a competitive bidding process.
She must also follow submissions of the finance committee on their adjudication process on the matter.
The State alleges that the requirements, which were meant to ensure that there is no favouritism, abuse and other forms of corruption, were completely ignored.
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