CHINHOYI, Mar. 25 (NewsDay Live) – The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has arrested the ruling Zanu PF party’s Chiredzi South MP Joel Sithole over allegations of abusing public funds after he allegedly diverted more than ZWG$1.2 million from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Sithole is accused of misappropriating ZWG$1,234,150 (about US$50,000) disbursed by Parliament in August 2025 for community projects in his constituency.
The funds were earmarked for a classroom block and roofing of staff houses at Gwaseche Primary School, as well as upgrades at Makanani Clinic.
However, ZACC investigations allege that Sithole — who chairs the constituency’s CDF committee and is a signatory to its bank account — diverted the funds for personal use.
Prosecutors say he, acting in common purpose with Edson Chauke, who is still at large, transferred ZWG$850,000 from the CDF account to a local wholesaler under the guise of purchasing groceries.
He allegedly spent a further ZWG$418,516 at grocery outlets, hotels and beer halls.
In an apparent cover-up, Sithole is said to have later bought 100 bags of cement and limited roofing materials for another school to create the impression that projects had begun.
He is expected to appear at the Masvingo Magistrates’ Court on March 26, 2026.
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