A forensic handwriting expert has told a local court that Bulawayo’s deputy mayor, Edwin Ndlovu, authored a document allegedly listing councillors set to receive bribes from a company seeking land to build a cement plant.
Testifying before magistrate Richard Ramaboea on Monday, handwriting specialist Kurauone Madziranyika confirmed that the writing on the bribery list matched samples provided by Ndlovu.
“The questioned handwriting was authored by the same person who authored the standard handwriting samples submitted in this case Edwin Ndlovu,” Madziranyika stated, pointing to consistent letter formations and numeric characters, including the number “7”.
Ndlovu, the councillor for Ward 8, stands accused alongside Ward 3 councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, who chairs the city’s Finance and Development Committee. Prosecutors allege that the two solicited a US$20,000 payment from Labenmon Investments purportedly on behalf of themselves and 20 other unnamed councillors as a reward for securing land approval.
The land in question, 10 hectares in Cowdray Park, was initially denied in November 2023 due to environmental concerns over cement dust. However, a revised application in April 2024 led to the company being allocated 5.6 hectares.
According to lead prosecutor Nkanyezi Nyoni, following the approval, Ndlovu and Moyo approached Labenmon’s representative, Ms. Mapfumo, to demand the payment.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), tipped off about the alleged bribe, launched a sting operation. Investigators reportedly arrested both councillors at Mapfumo’s residence shortly after they took possession of the money.
The trial is ongoing.
