Mdlalose in Court Again.

Hwange Local Board Town Secretary, Ndumiso Mdlalose has once again appeared before the
Hwange Magistrate facing charges of abuse of office as he is being accused of squandering
Hwange local board funds for his personal gains.
Mdlalose (54) of Number 1 Sunset Close in Baobab suburb appeared in court last Monday
where he was granted ZW$400 000 bail.
Allegations as presented by prosecutor Memory Munsaka are that during the period from
December 2022 to May 2023 Mdlalose unlawfully and intentionally abused his office. He on
several occasions is said to have claimed a total of ZWL$8 227 848 being unproved travelling
and subsistence allowances. The amount included ZWL$3 279 000 accommodation allowance
while on Hwange Local Board trip and there after further approving payments he made by HLB
to Holiday Inn for accommodation expenses amounting ZWL$2,545 000 in respect of the same
HLB business trips at the proved rates, knowing that he had already received travel and
subsistence allowances.
Hwange Magistrate Mark Dzira released the accused on ZW$400 000 and deferred the case to
September 25.
Mdlalose was ordered to reside at his given addresses, report to the police on Mondays
between 6 am -6pm surrender travel documents, not interfere with witnesses and not visit their
workstations until the finalisation of the case.
Mdlalose still has a pending issue of abuse of office where he and the Housing Director
Annanias Banda were dragged to court by the country’s corruption watchdog, Zimbabwe Anti-
Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of criminal abuse of duty as public officers.
The allegations are that the duo sold a 6-hectare industrial stand number 7011 to Paarlweb
Investments Pvt Ltd for US$20 000 at a cost of US$0.33 cents per square metre against a
council resolution of selling the stand for US$1 983 600 at a cost of US$33.06 per square metre,
the case is not yet finalised.
In the pending case Paarlweb Investments made an application addressed to the Town Clerk of
HLB seeking for 20 hectares of land to construct a coke oven battery. On the July 29, 2022, a
special board meeting was held in which Mdlalose raised a motion of Paarlweb application and
the board resolved that the board accept application of Paarlweb Investment. Paarlweb
Investment was to construct coke battery in compliance with HLB laws and housing directors
permission.
Implementation of the committee resolution on housing matters respectively acted in common
purposes to intentionally and unlawfully caused Hwange Local Board to sell a heavy industrial
stand number 7011 which was 6 hectares in size to Paarlweb Investment at a cost of 0-33 per
square metre. This was contrary to HW/SB /15/2022 which required them to dispose the heavy

industrial stand at approved budgets US$33,06 per square metre which showed favour to
Pearlweb Investment which eventually acquired the said stand at USD20,000 instead of USD1,
983 ,600 the court heard.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission Investigations Officer Milton Mtembwa argued that
the Mdlalose and Banda have not been forthcoming when he was investigating the case and
instead Mtembwa revealed that Mdlalose instructed the HLB accounts to generate an invoice
with balance due of USD 1 497 269. It was prepared and stamped by Mdlalose and was sent to
Paarlweb Investments.
The actions of the accused persons caused Hwange Local Board to dispose an Industrial stand
number 7011 at an undervalue price of 0.33 square metre worth $USD20 000.
Mdlalose is allegedly accused of generating a letter dated 22 August confirming that Paalweb
had purchased the industrial stand, stating that Paarlweb has met all council requirements,
fulfilled all council payment and the council was processing title deeds.