Harare Town Clerk Hosiah Abraham Chisango (54) and Principal Contracts Administrator Artkins Mandaza (42) were denied bail after being arraigned before the Harare Magistrates' Court on charges of criminal abuse of duty.

The two City of Harare officials are accused of unlawfully awarding a lucrative street lighting tender to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture.

The State alleges that Chisango and Mandaza colluded to grant the tender to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, a company in which Moses Mpofu, who is currently in custody, is the majority shareholder.

This decision was reportedly made despite a prior ruling that disqualified the company for failing to meet bid requirements. The awarding of the tender has raised serious concerns, as the company's owners also control Synlak (Pvt) Ltd, which previously failed to deliver on a biogas digester tender in 2019.

According to the standard bidding document conditions, companies with poor performance records from previous City of Harare tenders are not eligible for new contracts.

The State asserts that by awarding the tender to Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, Chisango and Mandaza blatantly disregarded this critical stipulation.

The prosecution further claims that Mandaza, in connivance with the evaluation committee, drafted the contract between the City of Harare and Juluka Enndo Joint Venture.

The deal, allegedly sanctioned by Chisango, utilized an incorrect procurement method without obtaining the necessary exemption from the Procurement Regulatory Authority.

Adding to the controversy, Chisango reportedly sought an advance payment of USD 9,244,328.71 from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

However, the payment request was not processed, preventing the advance from being disbursed.

Both accused will remain in custody until their next court appearance on August 22.