Bulawayo Councillor Jailed for 12 Months in US$20,000 Bribery Scandal

BULAWAYO – A Bulawayo city councillor has been sentenced to an effective 12 months in prison after being convicted of soliciting a US$20,000 bribe to facilitate the approval of a cement manufacturing project.

Mpumelelo Moyo, the councillor for Ward 26 and chairman of the city’s powerful finance and development committee, was found guilty of demanding the kickback from Labenmon Investments. The bribe was exchanged for fast-tracking the allocation of a 5.6-hectare plot in Cowdray Park earmarked for the project .

The conviction stems from a sting operation conducted by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). The court heard that the company’s representative, Tsitsi Nyathi, alerted ZACC after Moyo pressed for the payment. Nyathi subsequently invited him to her home, where plainclothes ZACC officers apprehended him moments after he accepted the marked cash .

Bulawayo provincial magistrate Richard Ramaboea sentenced Moyo to 18 months in prison. However, six months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, leaving him with an effective 12-month jail term .

In his ruling, Magistrate Ramaboea described corruption by public officials as a “grave offence” that erodes public confidence in local authorities. The sentencing emphasizes the judiciary's stance on holding public officials to a higher ethical standard .

Notably, charges against deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu, who was initially arrested alongside Moyo, were dropped after the State failed to establish a direct link to the offence .

Moyo was represented by lawyer Prince Butshe of Butshe and Associates, who had pleaded for leniency, arguing that his client was a first-time offender and a breadwinner. However, the court maintained that the severity of the crime warranted a custodial sentence .

This case highlights ongoing efforts to combat corruption in Zimbabwe, where public officials often operate within a system noted for its challenges. A 2020 report by PPLAAF noted that Zimbabwe lacks comprehensive whistleblower protection laws, and agencies like ZACC are often perceived as understaffed, underfunded, and hampered by a lack of arrest and prosecution powers . Despite these hurdles, this conviction marks a significant step in the pursuit of accountability for public officials accused of graft.