Harare mayor to appear in court on corruption charges

By Shingai Nyoka

The mayor of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, is expected to appear in court on Thursday on corruption charges. 

Herbert Gomba was arrested on Monday, the latest in a string of arrests of city council officials accused to illegally parcelling out land in the capital. 

He is expected to be charged with abuse of office. 

He has not commented on the allegations.

His party, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC), objected to the manner of his arrest, saying he was not informed of the reason.

More than a dozen officials were reportedly suspended from the MDC-run city council to pave way for investigations into the alleged fraud.

Police officers, including an assistant commissioner, and a public prosecutor have also been charged for allegedly receiving land to quash investigation.

Some of the officials are alleged to have illegally sold various pieces of land and prejudiced the council of close to $1,150,000 (£900,000).

The residents’ associations have called for an independent audit into the affairs of the Harare City Council alleging long-standing rot.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: The Herald