Former Harare Officials Charged in US$465,000 Mbare Biogas Tender Fraud Scandal
HARARE – Two former City of Harare officials, Phillip Mabingo Pfukwa (75) and Josephine Ncube (62), have appeared at the Harare Regional Anti-Corruption Magistrates Court, facing charges of fraud linked to a US$465,290 tender for the Mbare Biogas Project.
The project was funded by a €350,000 European Union (EU) grant and aimed to construct biogas digesters and install a 100KVA biogas generator.
The court heard that CoH secured the EU grant in 2013 to address energy needs in Mbare.
The procurement process, overseen by the Town Clerk and a dedicated procurement committee, was expected to follow strict guidelines.
However, in March 2015, Pfukwa, the Director of Works at the time, and Ncube, the Chamber Secretary, allegedly bypassed procedures to award the tender to Synlak (Private) Limited, a company owned by Moses Mpofu, despite its failure to meet procurement standards.
Reports by NewZimbabwe reveal the accused falsified internal documents to misrepresent Synlak’s eligibility for the contract. By December 2015, Ncube reportedly signed off on the deal, allowing the company to receive full payment of US$465,290 without delivering on the project.
The pair has been remanded to May 14, pending a potential indictment at the High Court.
