By Correspondent
The corruption scandal engulfing the Bulawayo City Council has widened, with two more councillors surrendering themselves to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) following the remand of the city’s deputy mayor and a former councillor.
Ward 3 Councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu and Ward 15 Councillor Ashton Mhlanga handed themselves over at the ZACC offices in Bulawayo on Monday, accompanied by their lawyers, Nqobani Sithole and Kholwani Ngwenya.
The two councillors were allegedly implicated in an extortion syndicate involving three other municipal officials who were remanded in custody.
Investigators allege that Mahlangu and Mhlanga acted in concert with Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, Ward 28 Councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu and former Ward 22 Councillor Rodney Jele.
The group is accused of soliciting and receiving US$52,000 from a local businessman in exchange for allegedly facilitating favourable administrative decisions and land allocations within the local authority.
The latest developments come after Deputy Mayor Ndlovu and Jele appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Isheunesu Matova, with the State opposing their release on bail.
State counsel Milton Moyo argued that the seriousness of the allegations and the possibility of lengthy prison sentences if convicted created a risk that the accused could abscond.
The prosecution also argued that releasing the accused could compromise ongoing investigations, citing their positions and alleged influence within the municipal hierarchy.
The State expressed concern that the accused could intimidate witnesses, particularly junior council employees, or interfere with documentary evidence relevant to the investigation.
In a further allegation highlighting the circumstances surrounding the arrest, prosecutors told the court that Deputy Mayor Ndlovu allegedly resisted arrest by locking himself inside an office at his commercial premises, Gracious Driving School.
ZACC investigators were forced to engage a locksmith to gain entry and execute the arrest warrant.
However, defence lawyers Kholwani Ngwenya and Prince Butshe Dube opposed the State’s position, arguing that the prosecution’s case was weak and lacked sufficient evidence to justify continued detention.
Magistrate Matova reserved judgment on the contested bail application after lengthy submissions.
The surrender of Mahlangu and Mhlanga is expected to further widen the corruption probe at the Bulawayo City Council as investigators continue pursuing allegations of abuse of office and extortion.
