By Correspondent
Former Chegutu Rural District Council Chairman Tatenda Gwinji has been arrested on accusations of defrauding former Norton MP Temba Mliswa US$35 000.
He appeared at the Magistrate’s Court in Chegutu on Friday and was given free bail.
According to allegations Mliswa paid US$10 000 towards Gwinji’s legal fees in an illegal mining case Gwinji was facing.
In that case, Gwinji was found guilty and subsequently imprisoned for 6 months.
Mliswa further paid US$25 000 to the Chegutu RDC on behalf of Gwinji.
In return Mliswa was supposed to get a Toyota GD6 vehicle owned by Gwinji.
However, after the release from prison Gwnji refused to hand over the vehicle to Mliswa.
The vocal politician, now Chairperson of the Southern African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (SAPNAC), reported the case to the police.
“Gwinji couldn’t pay for a vehicle and through two payments: US$25K to the Chegutu RDC and US$10K to some lawyers whose services he had used and failed to pay for i bailed him out in exchange for a vehicle.
“Now he gets out of jail and yet refuses with the vehicle,” said Mliswa.
However, on Monday, Gwinji allegedly brought the vehicle to Mliswa’s residence.
An official at the former legislator’s office confirmed receipt of the vehicle.
“He brought the vehicle as per the agreed contract with Mliswa.
“I’m not sure how we will proceed in terms of the opened docket,” he said.
The ZANU-PF member has been previously been implicated in a variety of criminal cases.
In 2020 he was arrested together with Dexter Nduna and the party’s Mashonaland West provincial youth chairman Vengai Musengi.
They were accused of extracting gold ore at the David Whitehead waste deposit site in Chegutu.
