Two senior Harare City Council officials have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each for criminal abuse of office in connection with the illegal sale of commercial stands.
Stanley Ndemera, the former acting finance director, and Emmanuel Mutambirwa, who served as the city’s valuer and estates manager, were found guilty of unlawfully selling land leased to Old Hararians Sports Club.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which led the investigation, confirmed the arrests on its X (formerly Twitter) account. “ZACC arrested the duo after it emerged that they connived to parcel out commercial stands on land leased to Old Hararians Sports Club,” the commission stated.
Prosecutors Whisper Mabhaudi and Lovack Masuku detailed how the illegal transactions took place between September 2018 and August 2020. The two officials were accused of working together to sell the stands to various companies, including Optel Enterprises, Silver Harbour Enterprises, and Leanforth Investment.
The case was heard by High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero, who handed down the 10-year sentences, marking a significant ruling in the ongoing fight against corruption in Zimbabwe.
