BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Victoria Falls town clerk Ronnie Dube is a free man after the Hwange magistrates court dropped charges of criminal abuse of office against him.
Dube, had been in and out of court on remand since May when he was arrested for criminal abuse of duty as a public office following allegations that he illegally facilated the allocation of a commercial stand to a major Victoria Falls tour company.
For several months prosecutors had been seeking postponements claiming they were still conducting further investigations and witnesses.
On Tuesday prosecutor Kudzai Mudzamiri made a verbal submission seeking to withdraw the charges before plea citing lack of evidence.
Hwange magistrate Barbara Phiri sanctioned the withdrawal of the charges.
Prosecutors were alleging that Dube caused the council to sell a commercial stand to Shearwater Adventures in 2019 without following tender procedures.
They said on September 2017, Dube received a request to purchase additional land behind stands 1381, 1382, 1383, 1384, 1385, 1386 and 943 from Ntokozo Mlilo, who is group human resources manager for Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls.
He allegedly caused the valuation of the stands by Backstone Properties who responded to him on February 11, 2019 with the value of the stand.
Prior to his arrest, Victoria Falls mayor Somveli Dlamini had suspended Dube in April accusing him of being corrupt and incompetent.
The local authority, set up a five member-commission of inquiry to look into the allegations of misconduct leveled against Dube.
A former mayor and alderman, former councillors, a sitting chief executive officer of a local authority, and a lawyer comprised the committee. The committe subsequently cleared Dube of the allegations saying the deal between council and Shearwater was above board.
On Wednesday during a full council meeting, a letter was read from Dube’s lawyer Matshobana Ncube of Ncube Attorneys announcing that town clerk had been freed of the charges.
“We still act for the above named Mr Ronnie Dube who
” We write to advise that today (Tuesday) at the Hwange Magistrates’ Courts the State dropped charges against our client. Consequently he has been liberated as there is no pending matter at this moment in time. The net effect of the dropping of charges is that he is a free man with no charge outstanding against him.”