Three Get 18-Year Jail Terms Over Fraud in Bridge ...

Three Get 18-Year Jail Terms Over Fraud in Bridge Construction Scandal Involving 79-Year-Old Labourer

Gilbert Munetsi – Zim Now Writer

The High Court of Zimbabwe has sentenced three men to 18 years in prison each for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme in which a 79-year-old man was exploited to build a rural bridge, while a private company fraudulently received nearly US$18,000 for the work.

Justice Benjamin Chikowero, sitting with two assessors, delivered the landmark ruling on Wednesday, describing the offence as a well-orchestrated act of corruption involving public officials and a private entity.

The court found that the offenders acted in concert to divert public funds through deliberate misrepresentation and abuse of office.

The convicted are Romeo Tapiwa Mupamaonde and Alfred Makama who were respectively employed by Hurungwe Rural District Council as engineer and assistant engineer, as well as Batsirai Nyamayaro, the director of Anstand Investments (Pvt) Ltd which is a private company that fraudulently benefited from the crime.

The court also imposed a US$5,000 fine on each of the three, with an additional 12 months’ imprisonment should they fail to pay. A similar fine was imposed on Anstand Investments, and the Registrar of the High Court was directed to issue a writ of execution against the company’s property to recover the amount.

The fraud stemmed from a tender won by Anstand Investments to construct the Chehoko Causeway bridge in Hurungwe at a contract price of US$17,990. Although the company entered into a formal contract with the council, it did not carry out the work.

Instead, Kainos Mupiwa, a 79-year-old villager from rural Gutu, was hired—without the knowledge of the council—to build the entire bridge, with assistance from two helpers and unpaid members of the local community. Mupiwa was paid a token sum for his labour, which the court described as “excellent work.”

The three accused then knowingly misrepresented to the council that Anstand Investments had constructed the bridge, thereby inducing the local authority to release the full payment. The funds were disbursed by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration and were never recovered.

The court emphasised that the offenders—who held positions of public trust—colluded to defraud not just the council but the broader community that depended on public infrastructure.

“They took advantage of Mupiwa’s expertise in bridge construction to access public funds without breaking a sweat,” said Justice Chikowero in the judgment.

The judge lambasted the trio for turning themselves into an organised criminal gang, stating, “They held strategic positions and played significant roles in the commission of the crime.”

Despite pleas for leniency—citing family responsibilities, poor health, and job losses—the court maintained that the gravity of the offence warranted deterrent sentences. Justice Chikowero warned that failure to impose substantial jail time would “erode the confidence of the public in the criminal justice system.”

Legal analysts and anti-corruption activists have welcomed the judgment, saying it sends a strong message about the consequences of abusing public office and defrauding the State.

“This is an important precedent. The use of an elderly man to perform unpaid hard labour in a fraudulent scheme is not just morally reprehensible—it is criminal,” said a Harare-based legal analyst.

The court noted that all three men were first-time offenders and had already suffered professional consequences, including dismissal from their posts. However, this was not enough to outweigh the harm caused to public trust and resources.

The bridge, though now standing and serving the community, stands as a symbol of exploitation, built by the hands of a pensioner used as a tool in a wider fraud.