BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA
THE Justice ministry has suspended Chivi Messenger of Court Albert Meke Chamwadoro, who is facing allegations of fraud after minister Ziyambi Ziyambi roped in the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) to lead investigations against him.
Masvingo provincial magistrate Tadiwanashe Gofa confirmed the suspension which came into effect last month, and said she had already forwarded her recommendations to Chief Magistrate Munato Mutevedzi.
“Yes, I can confirm that Chamwadoro was suspended last month pending investigations. I have already forwarded my recommendations to the chief magistrate and he (Chamwadoro) remains suspended until the completion of investigations,” Gofa said.
Zacc chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo told Southern Eye in a telephone interview that the commission should be given time to thoroughly investigate the matter before they take appropriate action.
“Our officers are on the ground and they are going to compile a comprehensive report. I have already booked the matter in my diary and I am going to make sure that the matter is given top priority,” Matanda-Moyo said.
This is Chamwadoro’s second suspension in as many years. Former Masvingo provincial magistrate Langton Ndokera said in 2014, Chamwadoro was placed on suspension over allegations of stocktheft, and he was not sure how he was reinstated or how the case was concluded.
Chamwadoro, who is a former Zanu PF legislator for Chivi Central, stands accused of collecting property for clients and reselling the items or keeping them for personal use and charging clients non-existent fees as well as collecting property without a court order or writ.
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Some Chivi residents have since said they could only testify against him if the State guarantees them protection because Chimwadoro was threatening them saying he was “untouchable.”
Chamwadoro is accused of collecting cattle, solar panels, batteries and various household items and failing to hand them over to Maria Gwadamwa after she separated with her husband.
He is also accused of taking a butchery scale from Rueben Gwede, which he never auctioned before grabbing a Honda Fit vehicle from him although the ruling was yet to be passed on his case with a local micro-finance institution to which he owed $800.
Priscilla Ruzive, who is another complainant, wrote to the Chivi resident magistrate complaining about how Chamwadoro handled her case which involved her employee who was demanding salary arrears from her, but Chamwadoro charged her for replying to her letter of complaint.
Several complainants have pending cases at the courts after reporting him to the Criminal Investigation Department.
Recently, Chamwadoro was dragged to court by another complainant after he confiscated his cattle which had strayed into his field. He is alleged to have sold the cattle.
