SUSPENDED Chitungwiza mayor Phillip Mutoti, town clerk George Makunde and then acting director of housing Kennedy Dube appeared in court yesterday on allegations of fraud.
By Albert Masaka
The trio allegedly allocated a stand to the mayor’s three-year-old son, Nathan. It was indicated in the application (lodgers’ card number 7060) that Nathan was self-employed.
They appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Francis Mapfumo.
“The allocation of a stand to a three-year-old without verification of his personal details in the form of the production of a birth certificate and evidence of being on the waiting list was irregular and contrary to or inconsistent with the duties of the accused persons as public officers,” the State papers read.
The State alleged that the three did this for the purpose of showing favour to Phillip or Nathan Mutoti.
According to the State, the first accused, Mutoti, made an application for a residential stand to the acting director of housing for Chitungwiza Municipality, Dube, on July 2, 2015. He was allegedly purporting to be making the application on behalf of Nathan, who was then aged three.
Mutoti is alleged to have approached Makunde and discussed the application and was given the go-ahead.
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Nathan, according to court papers, was not on the waiting list for the allocation of residential stands and his birth certificate was not attached to the application.
The application was approved on July 13, 2015 and Nathan was allocated stand number 26008 Unit C Seke by Dube with the knowledge of Makunde ahead of other applicants.
The State alleged on September 15, Mutoti sold the stand to Patience Tandiwe Chimbwe.
Some residents got to know of this and demonstrated at the municipality head office.
Tafadzwa Makwanda is prosecuting in the matter.
Mutoti and Dube have since been suspended on fraud allegations.
