TWO suspects are set to appear at the Harare Magistrates Court today facing charges of allegedly defrauding the City of Harare of over US$415 000 meant for the Mbare biogas project.
The project was being funded by a European Union grant in 2015.
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) spokesperson Simiso Mlevu said the suspects, Vusumuzi James Mpofu and Nobukhosi Mpofu of Synlak (Private) Limited, are facing charges of fraud, money-laundering and abuse of public funds.
“The suspects are alleged to have fraudulently obtained payments for a contract they were not qualified to execute, prejudicing the local authority of over US$415 000,” Mlevu said in a statement.
According to Zacc, Synlak (Pvt) Ltd was awarded a tender to design and construct biogas digesters and a 100kVA generator under a European Union grant administered by the City of Harare.
Investigations later revealed that the company made misrepresentations during the bidding process.
“Synlak falsely claimed to be authorised resellers of Camda New Energy Technology Co Ltd, a key requirement under the tender specifications,” Mlevu said.
“This misrepresentation led to the unlawful awarding of the contract.”
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She further revealed that the suspects, in alleged collusion with two former senior City of Harare officials — ex-director of works Phillip Pfukwa and former chamber secretary Josephine Ncube — manipulated payment procedures to access the funds before doing any work.
“These funds were deposited into company accounts held at CABS and BancABC, from which Vusumuzi and Nobukhosi Mpofu, as signatories, made substantial cash withdrawals,” she said.
“This case underscores the commission’s commitment to ensuring that public resources are safeguarded and that those who engage in corruption are held accountable, regardless of their position or influence.”
