Victoria Falls Mayor Arrested On Fraud Allegations
Victoria Falls mayor Councillor Somveli Dhlamini (MDC Alliance) has been arrested on allegations of fraud and failing to declare interest to an authority.
The 53-year-old was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on Thursday in Victoria Falls.
Through his lawyer Givemore Mvhiringi, Dhlamini applied for bail before Hwange magistrate Collet Ncube on Friday.
The magistrate deferred to Monday the ruling on Dhlamini’s bail application which means he will spend the weekend in custody.
Dhlamini was arrested after ZACC officials visited Victoria Falls City to investigate allegations of corruption against Town Clerk Ronnie Dube.
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During the visit, ZACC discovered the alleged scandal involving a stand valued at over US$90 000. Part of the State outline reads:
In that on the 15th of August 2022 and at Victoria Falls City Council offices the accused Somveli Dhlamini who is the mayor of the city council and in his capacity as such unlawfully and intentionally made a misrepresentation and purported to be Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko who he had earlier on in 2003 purchased a stand 1139 from by making an application using the name Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko to Victoria Falls City Council under the Wood Road Housing Scheme upon which the council offered him stand number 1771 Wood Road which needed a deposit of US$25 000.
Dhlamini allegedly paid US$10 000 and the balance was supposed to be paid within five days which he failed to do. He then paid $7 500 000.
The State alleges that Dhlamini misrepresented himself as Maseko and defrauded the city.
A council resolution of ordinary full council meeting number 4 of 2020 stipulated that applicants must not have benefitted before through allocation, purchase or lost stands through repossession within Victoria Falls City.
Prosecutors alleged that Dhlamini caused the council US$15 000 actual prejudice and potential prejudice of US$66 462.75. | CITE
