Harare City Council Officials Jailed for Illegal Land Sales

Two former senior officials of the Harare City Council have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each for criminal abuse of office. Stanley Ndemera, the former acting finance director, and Emmanuel Mutambirwa, the former valuer and estates manager, were found guilty of illegally selling commercial stands.

The charges stemmed from the pair’s involvement in the unauthorized parcelling of land leased to the Old Hararians Sports Club. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) investigated the case and found that Ndemera and Mutambirwa had conspired to sell the stands to Optel Enterprises, Silver Harbour Enterprises, and Leanforth Investment between September 2018 and August 2020.

High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero presided over the trial, ultimately finding the two officials guilty and imposing the 10-year prison sentence.