By Correspondent
In March 2025, Hugh Tinashe Sibanda was convicted of fraudulently importing duty-free fuel using forged documents.
The total cost of his scheme was US$2.8 million in lost revenue.
Due to this, he was sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison.
In March 2024, Simon Vukomba was sentenced to 10 years for 175 counts of fraud that amounted to ZWL$302 million.
He was accused of swindling the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and Securities Exchange of Zimbabwe (SECZim).
However, in July, a Hurungwe CEO was given a sentence that seemingly contradicted the amount which he fleeced.
Luke Kalavina was convicted of defrauding Hurungwe RDC of US$47,000 and sentenced to 34 years in prison.
The Case
The court heard that Kalavina misappropriated funds allocated for the construction of a bridge and for upgrades at a local clinic.
Investigations by ZACC revealed that the officials authorised fraudulent payments to Marloshac Investments.
They claimed that the company had built the Kaspikiri Causeway Bridge.
Over US$18,000 was paid, yet the actual work was completed by local contractor Kainos Mupiwa, who never received a cent.
The scam extended to Chiedza Clinic, where the officials diverted plumbing materials worth US$3,889 for personal projects.
They fraudulently claimed the construction of ablution facilities, costing the council another US$6,075.
They processed another US$8,501 purchase order for building materials from a company linked to one of the accused.
However, nothing was delivered, and in total, Hurungwe RDC lost US$47,266.21.
None of it has been recovered.
Justice Benjamin Chikowero, sitting with two assessors, delivered the landmark ruling.
He described the offence as a well-orchestrated act of corruption involving public officials and a private entity.
Anti-Corruption Support
Some legal analysts and anti-corruption activists welcomed the judgment, saying it sends a strong message about the consequences of abusing public office and defrauding the State.
“This is an important precedent. The use of an elderly man to perform unpaid hard labour in a fraudulent scheme is not just morally reprehensible—it is criminal,” said a Harare-based legal analyst.
However, others questioned the length of the sentence, considering how he was a first-time offender and the relatively small amount of money involved.
“There are reasons for both sides of the argument why he should or should not have received such a hefty sentence.
“As the court noted, all three men were first-time offenders and had already suffered professional consequences.
“This included dismissal from their posts.
“On the other hand is the issue of the harm their actions caused to public trust and resources.
“Personally, I feel that the sentence could have been lesser as it weighs heavily on the extreme side considering the amount that was abused”, said another legal analyst in Harare.
A Political Angle
However, others on the ground have argued that the sentencing of Kalavina has little to do with the crime.
It has everything to do with subplots in Hurungwe’s political games.
One Hurungwe RDC Councillor, who refused to be named for fear of victimisation, said Kalavina was a victim of a larger story.
“Kalavina made a blunder in aligning with Hurungwe RDC Chairperson Mary Mliswa-Chikoka and her brother, Temba.
“Temba has huge business interests in this area and has repeatedly clashed with Provincial Minister Marian Chombo.
“It was Kalavina who oversaw the acquisition of the 25-year lease of Rengwe Conservancy by Temba.
Mliswa himself has been arrested over the Conservancy and spent two days in detention at Magunje Police Station.
“All this created an understanding that Kalavina was working with Temba, and so it created enemies for him,” he said.
The Cllr says Kalavina’s opponents simply used their own proxies within the Council to nail him through the bridge deal.
Speaking about the issue, Mliswa admitted the same.
He accused three Hurungwe RDC officials of working to undermine Kalavina.
Ironically, the three were also arrested over a different matter.
“The arrest of these three, Felistus Muteta, Brighton Dube and Chamunorwa Mapfumo, by the ZRP Anti-Corruption Unit is a laudable step in the right direction.
“These individuals were not merely holding positions of authority; they were part of a criminal alliance.
“They were intent on undermining their own CEO, Luke Kalavina, in a calculated effort to seize control of Council and safeguard their nefarious operations within the entity.
“That they have also been arrested is poetic justice”, he said.
Whether it was a mere case of the court laying a mark against abuse of public funds or a political punch fact is Kalavina is already serving a huge sentence.
