Crimes and Courts
BULAWAYO – The High Court of Zimbabwe has granted former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator Obert Manduna US$100 bail, suspending his custodial sentence pending the outcome of his appeal against a fraud conviction.
Manduna, who represented the Nketa/Emganwini constituency, was convicted of defrauding a Bulawayo woman of US$5,900 in a botched residential stand deal. He was sentenced to an effective two years in jail by Bulawayo provincial magistrate Mr. Richard Ramaboea.
His legal counsel, Mr. Tanaka Mungayi of Tanaka Law Chambers, argued successfully for his release, contending that the case is inherently civil, not criminal. In his appeal, Manduna asserts that the magistrate erred by imposing a custodial sentence where a fine or community service would have been appropriate.
“The court erred in imposing a custodial sentence of 24 months, which should have allowed for a fine or community service option,” stated the appeal, highlighting the defense’s position that the matter is a contractual dispute.
The state alleged that between October 2020 and February 2022, Manduna used a fake power of attorney to convince the complainant, Ms. Sithulisiwe Sibanda, that he could sell her Stand 7278 in Cowdray Park for US$6,500. Unbeknownst to Ms. Sibanda, who paid US$5,900, the stand had been repossessed by the Bulawayo City Council. She later reported the transaction to authorities, leading to Manduna’s arrest by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) at his Ascot residence.
In a related development, a separate fraud case against Manduna, brought by South Africa-based businessman Mr. Farai Kwenda, has been dropped.
Mr. Kwenda filed an affidavit with the magistrates’ court confirming that he had been restituted and was no longer pursuing charges.
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