CHIREDZI town secretary Wesley Kauma yesterday appeared at the Chiredzi Magistrates Court facing allegations of fraud involving the sale of residential stands.
The prosecution alleged that in 2013, Chiredzi Town Council offered the accused person a commercial stand measuring 2 195 square metres in the new central business district.
It is reported that 10 years later in 2023, the local authority resolved that the stand sold to the accused person should be handed over to the Chiredzi Small and Medium Enterprise Chamber following their application for a commercial stand.
This was after council had given Kauma another stand in Melbourne Park
When the Chiredzi Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber began construction of a shopping mall, the accused person allegedly approached them and ordered them to stop making any further developments, claiming that he owned the stand.
Investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission revealed that the accused person demanded payment from the Chiredzi Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber to continue with the developments on the stand.
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The Chiredzi Small and Medium Enterprises Chamber gave in to the accused person’s demands and agreed to hand over five shops to the accused person once the project was complete.
The five shops were valued at US$75 000.
The accused person will appear in court on July 31 for trial.