Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Councillor arrested over US$20,000 bribery allegations

BULAWAYO — Bulawayo City Council Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo have been arrested on bribery charges, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) confirmed. The two officials allegedly demanded a US$20,000 bribe from Labenmon Investments to facilitate land approval for a cement mixing plant.

According to ZACC, the case stems from an application made by Tsitsi Mapfumo of Labenmon Investments in November 2023 for 10 hectares of land, which was initially unsuccessful. Labenmon Investments later resubmitted the request in April 2024 and secured an offer for 5.6 hectares from the Bulawayo City Council.

It is alleged that after Labenmon Investments received the offer letter, Ndlovu and Moyo approached Mapfumo, demanding US$20,000 in cash as a “reward” to be shared among 20 council members who facilitated the approval. This prompted Labenmon Investments to report the demand to ZACC, leading to the arrest of the deputy mayor and councillor.

Ndlovu and Moyo are set to appear before the Tredgold Magistrate’s Court on November 16, 2024.