Top cop who gave police land to girlfriend granted Z$10 000 bail
By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Courts |
State prosecutors did not oppose bail in the case of a top cop in Matabeleland North, Commissioner Erasmus Makodza who was arrested yesterday for allowing his girlfriend to run private businesses on a police farm since 2019 without paying a cent into police funds.
The top cop was granted bail on Tuesday by regional Magistrate Stanford Mambanje after the State said it would not oppose bail.
The now officer commanding Matabeleland North, Makodza, was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of criminal abuse of office for allegedly concealing from the police a personal transaction involving the force when he was in his previous post as officer commanding Mashonaland East.
The State accuses Makodza of purporting to be representing the police in the deal structured with his girlfriend whom he had a four-year-old child, Mawonei Chapfudza, entering into a joint venture agreement for Lendy Farm in Marondera in 2019 and imposed her as a private investor.
It also alleges that Chapfudza used her relationship with Makodza as a launch pad to use the police farm for her personal business without remitting anything in terms of that agreement.
Magistrate Mambanje granted Makodza bail on condition that he deposits Z$10 000 to the Clerk of Court, reside at a given address, not interfere with witnesses and and report once a month to police.
Makodza was represented by his lawyer Tapiwa Makanza. He will come back to court on the 2nd of March.
ZAAC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said it is alleged that Makodza during his stint as officer commanding Mashonaland East hatched a plan to corruptly benefit from businesses on the farm when he imposed Chapfudza as a private investor at the farm in the areas of horticulture, piggery and poultry among others.
“Our preliminary investigations have shown that this joint venture was never fully implemented as envisaged in the agreement as Chapfudza ended up doing her work at the farm with the full blessing and concurrence with the accused person.
“She was using police resources to do her projects without remitting the requisite 10 percent to police as was in terms of that agreement,” said Comm Makamure.
“We want to warn people occupying high offices that the law will treat you the same like any other person. As Zacc we will invoke the law without fear or favour,” he said. Nehanda Radio
