Harare City officials, Town Clerk Hosiah Abraham Chisango (54) and Principal Contracts Administrator Artkins Mandaza (42), have been denied bail following their arraignment in the Harare Magistrates’ Court on charges of criminal abus3 of duty related to a controversial street lighting tender.
The two are accused of unlawfully awarding the tender to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, despite prior disqualification due to failure to meet bid requirements.
This company, where Moses Mpofu, now in custody, is the majority shareholder, has raised alarms as its owners also control Synlak (Pvt) Ltd, which previously defaulted on a biogas digester contract in 2019.
The prosecution claims that Chisango and Mandaza ignored stipulations barring companies with poor previous performance from new contracts and improperly sanctioned the contract without following the correct procurement procedures, failing to secure necessary exemptions from the Procurement Regulatory Authority.
Compounding the situation, Chisango’s attempt to secure an advance payment of over USD 9.2 million from the Ministry of Local Government was thwarted when the request was not processed.
Both officials will remain in custody until their next court appearance on August 22, amid rising scrutiny surrounding public procurement practices in the City of Harare.
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