Hurungwe RDC CEO Jailed 34 Years for Fraud

Zim Now Reporter

Hurungwe Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer, Luke Kalavina, has been sentenced to 34 years in jail by the High Court after being convicted on three counts of fraud involving the abuse of public funds meant for infrastructure development.

Kalavina was found guilty of diverting funds earmarked for key development projects—including the construction of a bridge and the upgrading of a clinic in Karoi—for his personal use.

According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Kalavina’s actions prejudiced the council and compromised service delivery in the district.

His sentencing comes shortly after the conviction of three other Hurungwe RDC officials on similar charges.

Council Engineer Romeo Mupamaonde, his assistant Alfred Makama, and a private contractor, Batsirayi Nyamayaro, were each sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison by the High Court for fraud involving more than US$18,000.

The trio misappropriated the money, which had been allocated for the construction of a bridge under the local authority’s infrastructure development plan.

The court heard that the accused persons connived to channel the funds into private accounts, thereby stalling progress on the bridge project and disadvantaging communities in Hurungwe.

The convictions are part of an ongoing crackdown on corruption within local authorities, with ZACC intensifying investigations into the abuse of funds and resources across councils.