Zimbabwean social media users have expressed disillusion with the system after the arrest of Chiredzi West legislator Darlington Chiwa by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on allegations of theft after he allegedly diverted Constituency Development Fund (CDF) money.
“Saka ma MP ese atove mujeri ka nhai imi” derided one X user, implying that if the system was effective, more MPs would be jailed.
“Accountability and transparency remain essential to maintaining public trust,” another noted.
Investigators allege that Chiwa took unilateral control of the Chiredzi West CDF account, sidelining other mandated signatories and treating the fund as a personal account. The CDF system requires a multi-signatory structure involving constituency committee members to prevent abuse.
Chiwa appeared in court and was remanded in custody pending a bail ruling.
Chiwa now joins a short list of MPs previously arrested over CDF abuse.
In earlier cases, Albert Mhlanga (Pumula), Marvellous Khumalo (St Mary’s), Cleopas Machacha (Kariba) and Franco Ndambakuwa (Magunje) were arrested over alleged CDF theft but were later released after prosecutors cited weak administrative controls.
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Chiwa’s arrest comes barely a year after another high-profile constituency development funds case.
In November 2024, Uzumba MP Wiriranai Muchemwa and councillor Knowledge Chipindu were arrested over the alleged theft of US$12 000 raised for constituency infrastructure projects.
The pair were accused of soliciting the money for development projects and diverting it for personal use. They later appeared in court and were granted bail, with the matter still pending.
Although the funds were raised as donations rather than through the official CDF envelope, the case exposed the same structural weakness: politicians exercising unchecked control over community development money.
an inadequate legal framework for securing convictions.
The pattern has fuelled persistent criticism that while CDF abuse allegations are widespread, accountability remains weak with many social media users saying they do not expect any effective prosecution unless there is political persecution involved.
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