Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) councilors Chipo Mlotswa and Busani Dube have been granted bail in the sum of $100 each after they were arrested on fraud charges. The two councillors, who spent Thursday night in police custody at Chinhoyi Central Police Station, are facing charges of misusing a facility meant to allocate residential stands to councillors.

The charges, which stem from their tenure as councillors, allege that Mlotswa and Dube abused the residential stand allocation system by misrepresenting information, resulting in multiple stands being allocated to each of them. The state alleges Dube fraudulently received $7,272, while Mlotswa allegedly defrauded the council of $6,908.28.

The allegations center on allegations that councilors were granted residential stands in various terms, a privilege reserved for elected officials. According to the State’s case, this misrepresentation allowed them to obtain properties they were not entitled to, defrauding the local council in the process.

Magistrate Nyasha Marufu granted bail to Mlotswa and Dube on the condition that they reside at the addresses they provided to the court and surrender their passports to Registrar Chinhoyi.

The two councilors were represented by Kudzi Choga in court, while Rutendo Ngazimbi appeared on behalf of the prosecution. The case continues to unfold as both Mlotswa and Dube deny the allegations.

The bail decision has drawn attention to issues related to transparency and accountability within local public administration structures, particularly with regard to the allocation of public resources.