By Fanuel Chinowaita
Mutare, 12 January 2026– Three Rusape Town Council officials who were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) over alleged criminal abuse of duty have been acquitted by Mutare Magistrate Annie Ndiraya on Friday.
Togarepi Nerwande, the Director of Human Capital and Administration and Acting Town Secretary; Morris Tekwa, the Director of Housing, Health and Community Services; and Arnold Mandizvidza Kutoka, the former Council Engineer, were found not guilty on Friday after the close of the State case.
The trio had been facing charges under Section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], arising from allegations that they unlawfully revived and processed a rejected application by Texas Energy Private Limited to establish a solar power plant in Tsanzaguru, Rusape.
The State alleged that in 2018, Texas Energy Pvt Ltd proposed developing a solar power plant in Tsanzaguru, but the Ministry of Local Government rejected the application on the basis that the land was inadequate and zoned for residential purposes.
It was further alleged that between September and December 2022, the accused unlawfully revived and reprocessed the rejected application without following statutory procedures.
Prosecutors claimed that on 28 December 2022, Nerwande signed a 99-year lease with Texas Energy, misrepresenting the land as “open space” suitable for development, and that the officials bypassed mandatory processes such as public notification and ministerial approval for change of land use.
However, the court ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, resulting in the acquittal of all three accused.
Following their arrest, the officials had been placed on suspension by Rusape Town Council as a procedural measure pending the outcome of the court case. Sources said the suspension was in line with council procedures, which require employees facing criminal charges to remain on suspension until the matter is finalised.
With the officials now acquitted, the matter of their suspension is expected to be placed before a full council meeting, where councillors will formally deliberate and resolve on lifting the suspensions, in line with council procedures.