Mayor of Zimbabwe capital arrested over graft allegations

News24
26 Nov 2020, 19:41 GMT+10

The new mayor of Zimbabwe's capital Harare has been arrested for alleged corruption, his lawyer said Thursday, as the top opposition figure's party slammed the case as politically motivated.

Jacob Mafume - a prominent member of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance - is accused of corruptly parcelling out residential plots of land, including to his sister, when he was a city councillor in 2010.

He was arrested late Wednesday and is set to remain in custody until a first court appearance expected on Friday, Mafume's lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara said.

Mafume "is facing criminal abuse of office charges relating to allocation of stands," Bhatasara told AFP.

"The police are yet to establish some facts and issues relating to the matter."

Mafume's MDC party said the arrest was a "flimsy political case" and that the charges against him were "unclear".

"His real offence was winning the mayoral vote," the MDC tweeted hours after the arrest.

Mafume was elected in September.

"They want to remove him & replace him with a ZANU-PF proxy," the MDC tweeted, referring the ruling party.

Harare has been governed by opposition figures for more than a decade.

ZANU-PF often accuses MDC-led councils of corruption and incompetence.

In 2004, the government suspended the first opposition mayor Elias Mudzuri and replaced his council with a commission appointed by a local ZANU-PF minister.

Mafume's predecessor Herbert Gomba was arrested for alleged land scams in July and was also charged with criminal abuse of office.

Gomba was released on bail in August and barred from resuming his mayoral functions

Source: News24

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Johannesburg Life.

More Information

null in null

International

Section

CDC: US records 1,288 measles cases, most since 1992 outbreak

ATLANTA, Georgia: The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 confirmed cases so...

Gaza War sucking life out of an Israeli generation

In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...

Faulty IT system at heart of UK Post Office scandal, says report

LONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...

Travelers can now keep shoes on at TSA checkpoints

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...

Rubio impersonator used AI to reach officials via Signal: cable

WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...

Warsaw responds to migration pressure with new border controls

SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...

Africa

Section