HARARE – Harare mayor Jacob Mafume was released on Wednesday after several hours of questioning by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), while deputy mayor Rosemary Muronda and former Harare South MP Shadreck Mashayamombe remained in custody. Mafume’s lawyers insisted he was never placed under arrest. “It was just an interview to assist with their investigation.
At the end of it they said they were not pressing any charges and he was free to go,” said Jeremiah Bamhu, a member of Mafume’s legal team. Another lawyer, Advocate Method Ndlovu, said the engagement with investigators lasted just under six hours. The investigation centres on the alleged irregular sale of four housing stands in Harare’s Newlands suburb.
ZimLive was told that a complainant paid US$600,000 for the land in a transaction he claims involved Mafume. According to sources briefed on the matter, a rival bidder – a Chinese national – later offered more than US$1 million for the same stands, prompting an alleged attempt to refund the initial buyer. Suspecting corruption, the complainant then reported the matter to ZACC.
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It was not immediately clear what role Mashayamombe and Muronda are alleged to have played in the transaction. In a brief statement, ZACC said: “ZACC confirms the arrest of City of Harare deputy mayor, Councillor Rosemary Muronda, and former Harare South Member of Parliament, Shadreck Mashayamombe, on allegations of fraud involving the fraudulent sale of council land. The two are expected to appear in court soon.”
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