OWN CORRESPONDENT
Fungai Maregedze, the chairperson of Zaka Rural District Council and wife to former Deputy Minister of finance, Clemence Chiduwa, has been arrested on six charges of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer as defined in the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
Maregedze has been the Council chairperson since September 2023. She is accused of misusing her position to orchestrate a series of fraudulent actions.
Investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) revealed that the accused convened a number of unsanctioned meetings between February and April 2024. These meetings, attended exclusively by councillors and held without council management, had no formal agenda or records, and were outside the council’s official schedule. Despite the irregular nature of these gatherings, Maregedze authorised the payment of sitting allowances amounting to over US$6,000, all outside the council’s budget.
It is alleged that on February 10, 2024, the accused called for a weekend meeting that was not part of the council’s annual schedule, resulting in US$692 being paid to councillors, including herself, for attendance. A similar meeting was held on February 17 and she demanded US$926 in allowances, in violation of council procedures.
In April, Maregedze allegedly coerced the Finance Director to approve an unscheduled payment of US$4,749 for yet another unauthorised meeting. When the director resisted, citing budgetary constraints, the accused allegedly threatened to terminate his contract of employment.
Furthermore, Maregedze allegedly bypassed standard procurement procedures in June 2024 by handpicking Lyonais Investments as the exclusive supplier of council fuel, disregarding the required procurement process. She allegedly authorised payment of US$1,630 for 1,000 litres of fuel without following the proper approval chain.
The accused was arrested on October 2, 2024, and is set to appear before the Zaka Magistrate’s Court on October 3, 2024 for initial remand.
