Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) councillors, Chipo Mlotswa and Busani Dube, have been granted bail of $100 each after being arrested on fraud charges. The two councillors, who spent Thursday night in police custody at the Chinhoyi central police station, face accusations of misusing a facility meant to allocate housing to councillors.

The allegations, which stem from their tenure as councillors, claim that Mlotswa and Dube abused the residential seat allocation system by misrepresenting information, leading to the allocation of multiple seats to each of them. The State alleges that Dube fraudulently received US$7,272, while Mlotswa allegedly defrauded the council of US$6,908.28.

The charges center on allegations that council members were granted housing during different terms, a privilege intended for elected officials. According to the State’s case, this misrepresentation allowed them to obtain property to which they had no right, defrauding the city council in the process.

Magistrate Nyasha Marufu granted bail to Mlotswa and Dube on condition that they reside at the addresses they provided to the court and hand over their passports to the Chinhoyi court clerk.

The two councilors were represented in court by Kudzi Choga, while Rutendo Ngazimbi appeared on behalf of the prosecution. The case continues to unfold as both Mlotswa and Dube deny the allegations.

The bail decision has drawn attention to issues related to transparency and accountability within local government structures, especially as it relates to the allocation of public resources.