Three Harare City Council Employees Arrested Over US$500k Fraud Scheme
Three Harare City Council employees have been arrested and charged with fraud after allegedly orchestrating a scheme that cost the local authority more than US$500 000.
Emmanuel Dzinomurumbi (53), Priscilla Dzvikidzo (54), and Valerie Mark (33) are accused of manipulating the council’s receipting system to divert funds for personal gain.
Also Read: Harare City Council Official Jailed 3 Years For Stealing Millions In Fraud Scheme
Alleged Manipulation of Payment System
According to investigators, the alleged fraud took place between January 2022 and March 2023 within the council’s RTGS section.
During this period, the department reportedly received proof of payments from clients totalling about US$300 000. However, it is alleged that after processing the transactions, the accused reversed them in the system without making the necessary accounting adjustments.
How the Scheme Was Executed
Prosecutors allege that the reversals created a false reflection in the system, making it appear as though the funds were still available.
This allegedly enabled the trio to redirect the money by generating new receipting vouchers for unrelated accounts without the knowledge of the original depositors. In doing so, they are accused of falsely indicating that certain accounts had been settled while diverting the funds for personal use.
Additional Counts Raise Total Loss
The case also includes two additional alleged fraud counts involving US$25 000 and US$189 000. Together with the initial amount, the total suspected prejudice to the council is estimated to exceed US$500 000.
Court Appearance and Bail
The three suspects appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court following investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
They were each granted bail of US$500 and are expected to return to court on May 13 as the matter continues.
Public Outrage on Social Media
Meanwhile, social media users have reacted with shock and dismay to the fraud, with many expressing anger over the scale of the reported losses.
Commentators criticised the Harare City Council for what they described as weak internal controls and a lack of accountability, arguing that such a scheme should have been detected earlier.
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