BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Victoria Falls City Council mayor Somvelo Dhlamini’s lawyer Givemore Muvhiringi, has expressed disappointment over the state’s delay to set a trial date for his client who is accused of fraudulently acquiring a stand in the resort city.
Dlamini from the Douglas Mwonzora MDC Alliance led-party was finally granted his bail on Tuesday last week by the High Court, a day after the regional court had further remanded him in custody to November 21 after the state argued that investigations were not yet complete.
He was arrested on October charged with fraud.
Muvhiringi from Muvhiringi and Legal Practitioners told VicFallsLive that the continued incarceration and remand on his client was not fair.
“A trial date has not been set because he has not been asked to plead,”Muvhiringi said.
“We will try to push a trial date to be set on his next appearance because this has taken so long and all those things should’ve been done long ago, so we will hear more on the day.”
Dhlamini was arrested two days after the group of about 14 warveterans from Hwange stormed into the town clerk Ronnie Dube’s office accusing him of being corrupt and wasteful of the resources.
Before his arrest, he had told VicFallsLive that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) was already on the ground to investigate the allegations, but ironically, the same commission found him on the wrong side.
He was arrested from the council premises and whisked to the regional court in Hwange.
Allegations against him are that “On the 15th of August 2022 and at Victoria Falls City Council offices the accused Somvelo Dhlamini, who is the mayor of the city council and in his capacity as such unlawfully and intentionally made a misrepresentation and purported to be Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko who he had earlier on in 2003 purchased stand 1139 by making an application using the name Valentine Munyaradzi Maseko to Victoria Falls City Council under the Wood Road Housing Scheme upon which the council offered him stand number 1771 Wood Road which needed a deposit of US$25 000.”
It was alleged that Dhlamini paid US$10 000 and the balance was supposed to be paid within five days, but he failed to settle the debt and paid $7 500 000 instead.
Muvhiringi said part of the mayor’s bail conditions included that he should pay a fee of $50 000, report to police every Friday and surrender his passport.
He was also ordered not to interfere with the witnesses.