Rusape Town Council chairman Lovemore Chifomboti has accused three municipal employees of acting without authorization when they granted a 99-year lease for a 10-hectare solar farm site to Texas Energy. Human capital officer Togarepi Nerwande, housing director Morris Tekwa, and former engineer Arnold Mandizvidza Kutoka face criminal abuse of office charges after allegedly reviving an application that government officials had previously denied.
Prosecutors say the defendants misrepresented residential land as suitable for solar development and bypassed required land-use approvals when finalizing the agreement with company representative Petros Kazungu. Town planner Blessing Kwambana and secretary Solomon Gabaza informed Chifomboti that proper council authorization was never obtained. Former chairman Blessmore Pambureni defended the transaction, claiming all protocols were satisfied before approval. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission arrested the defendants after they allegedly concealed zoning restrictions and published misleading notices describing the housing-reserved property as open space available for energy infrastructure.
Prosecutors say the defendants misrepresented residential land as suitable for solar development and bypassed required land-use approvals when finalizing the agreement with company representative Petros Kazungu. Town planner Blessing Kwambana and secretary Solomon Gabaza informed Chifomboti that proper council authorization was never obtained. Former chairman Blessmore Pambureni defended the transaction, claiming all protocols were satisfied before approval. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission arrested the defendants after they allegedly concealed zoning restrictions and published misleading notices describing the housing-reserved property as open space available for energy infrastructure.
