TRADITIONAL leaders, villagers and other stakeholders have called for the arrest Chiadzwa Community Share Ownership Trust (CCSOT) Chief executive officer Hardwork Mukwada over charges of abuse of funds belonging to the trust.
They made the call at an emergency meeting held at Chief Bernard Marange’s homestead in Mutare West early this week.
The meeting was attended by traditional leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) officials, Zanu PF Mutare West legislator Nyasha Marange among other ruling party officials.
Traditional leaders and several stakeholders called for the immediate resignation and arrest of Mukwada after an audit presented at the meeting exposed massive abuse of Trust funds.
"Mukwada requested US$15 000 without recommendation of the board and after our investigation we noted that he had created a personal nostro account while for the Trust he had created a ZWL account without the knowledge of other board members,” Headman Mutsago said while presenting the report.
Mutsago said Mukwada allegedly inflated the cost of drilling boreholes saying contractors needed US$100 000 yet the actual cost was US$40 000.
Headman Chiadzwa, who is the vice-chairperson of the Trust, said the board was in the dark on how the funds were being used.
"There is no transparency at all,” he said.
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Rodwell Murwira, who represented Chief Marange at the meeting, said he was not happy with how the Trust Funds were being held.
“Those who are found on the wrong side of the law should be arrested,” he said.
Outspoken Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans (ZNLWVA) national political commissar, Joel Mureremba, said a police report should be made.
"After all the deliberations this issue should be left to the police. We have witnesses already," Mureremba said
Mukwada denied the allegations when contacted for comment.
“The allegations levelled against me are not true,” he said.
“All the projects, according to government policy are directly administered by the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) using their relevant departments.
“These funds will be used religiously as per outcomes of the community grassroots consultations within the provisions of government policy.”
