The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
A MINISTRY of Mines and Mining Development mine supervisor has been arrested for allegedly accepting money from a client as a payment to process his papers for a mine claim.
Mhlanguli Mguni (30) who is based in Gwanda was not asked to plead when he appeared briefly before Gwanda magistrate, Mrs Nomagugu Sibanda facing a criminal abuse of duty charge. He was remanded out of custody to 22 April on $500 bail.
Prosecuting, Miss Faith Mutukwa said Mguni received US$120 from Mr Farai Mavhungwa on 17 July in 2018.
‘‘On 17 July 2018 Mr Mavhungwa and Mr Noel Ndlovu went to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development office to notify the ministry of their intention to peg a mine at Gobathema area in Guyu. They were attended by Mguni who advised them to collect the co-ordinates of the area they intended to peg. He gave them a GPS machine and told the complainant to pay US$60 for the machine but did not issue a receipt.
‘‘Mr Mavhungwa later came back with the co-ordinates to Mguni who verified them and told the complainant to go ahead and peg his mine. On a date unknown to the prosecutor Mr Mavhungwa made a follow-up on the papers he had submitted and Mguni told him to pay US$60 for his papers to be processed and he complied but he wasn’t issued with a receipt. The matter was later reported to the police resulting in Mguni’s arrest,’’ she said.
In his submissions in court Mr Nqobani Sithole of Ncube and Associates who represented Mguni said the offence which his client is alleged to have committed occurred in 2018 and the complainant only made the report in March this year which shows that they were fabricated.
He said the complainant in his statement said he paid Mguni US$60 to process his papers which was an act of corruption.
Mr Sithole said the complainant then went to the police and willingly confessed that he had paid the accused US$60 which meant that he was involved in an act of corruption and also had to be arrested.
@DubeMatutu
