Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Three Councillors Get Bail

Bulawayo deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu and three fellow councillors accused of extortion have been granted US$500 bail each by the High Court. Ndlovu, who chairs the Bulawayo City Council’s business and stands allocation committees, was granted bail on Wednesday together with councillors Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, Mxolisi Mahlanga and Ashton Mhlanga. Justice Naison Chivhayo granted the four bail after a magistrate had earlier refused their applications.

Former councillor Alderman Rodney Jele, who is jointly charged with the four councillors, remains in custody after his previous bail application was dismissed. The five are accused of soliciting a US$52,000 bribe from businessman Mthuli Thulani Matshazi, who secured a 59-year lease from the council in 2023 through his company, Mkhuze Global Investment, to develop a Hilton Hotel on land near the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

According to the State, the councillors allegedly told Matshazi that no development had taken place on the property and that another investor had offered US$52,000 to have his lease terminated. The councillors allegedly told Matshazi that he could retain the lease if he matched the purported US$52,000 offer. Matshazi subsequently reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), which launched an investigation.

The State alleges that ZACC investigators then set a trap for Jele, who was arrested after allegedly accepting US$5,000 in marked banknotes as part payment of the purported bribe.

The allegations have not been tested to finality, and the accused remain entitled to the presumption of innocence. The four councillors are represented by Sithole Law Chambers.

The case comes amid continued scrutiny of local authority land allocation, leases and development deals, with corruption allegations in such processes often attracting the attention of anti-graft authorities. The latest High Court ruling means the four councillors will now face criminal proceedings while out on bail, while Jele remains in custody pending further developments in his bail application.

Bulawayo councillors bail