Justice Denied? Cleared Engineer Still Locked Out As Rusape Council Defies Ruling

By Shingirai Vambe

The case of Rusape Town Council Engineer Charles Chindenga has once again thrust the embattled local authority into the spotlight, exposing deep-seated administrative chaos, internal power struggles, and a culture of mismanagement that continues to cost the municipality dearly, not only in litigation, but in its reputation and investor confidence.

For a small farming town ambitiously seeking city status, Rusape’s local governance woes have become a serious obstacle to progress. The latest episode, involving the suspension, prosecution, and eventual clearance of Engineer Chindenga, paints a disturbing picture of an institution struggling to balance professional accountability with political interference.

Engineer Chindenga was suspended by Rusape Town Council earlier this year on multiple allegations, including incompetence, insubordination, and alleged procedural violations in the development of his industrial stand within the Southern Africa Transport and Communication Commission (SATCC) area.

He was also accused of insulting the council chairperson, Mr. Lovemore Chifomboti, his deputy, Ms. Shylett Mutisi, and the Town Secretary, Mr. Solomon Gabaza, as well as failing to implement certain engineering works, specifically, a drainage system in Vengere suburb and a sewer line at Makoni Country Club, which the council claimed had led to raw water flowing into Rusape Dam.

After months of suspension and legal wrangling, the disciplinary hearing, presided over by a panel of senior administrators including Norton Town Secretary Mr. Kizito Muhomba and Kariba Town Clerk Mr. Richard Kamhoti, found Chindenga not guilty on all charges.

The panel ruled that the council failed to present credible evidence to support any of its accusations. It ordered that Engineer Chindenga be reinstated to his position with full benefits, a decision that was welcomed by many observers as a rare triumph for procedural fairness in local government.

But even after the ruling, the engineer’s ordeal was far from over.

When he reported for duty recently, he was reportedly barred from entering council premises by municipal police officers acting “on instructions from their superiors.” The council has since indicated its intention to appeal the outcome, further delaying his return to work.

In its judgment, the disciplinary panel noted “an acrimonious relationship” between Engineer Chindenga and the council leadership. It found it highly irregular that three sitting councillors, including the chairperson and vice-chairperson, had testified against a professional employee in a disciplinary case.

“The relationship between employer and employee has clearly broken down,” the panel wrote in its report.

“It is very rare that you find councillors, who are essentially the employer, testifying against an employee where he or she is not the Town Secretary. Even if justified, this signals a serious deterioration in professional relations.”

While clearing Chindenga of wrongdoing, the panel recommended that the two parties consider a mutual separation, citing irreconcilable differences that had undermined workplace harmony.

However, several councillors who spoke to The Post On Sunday on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization revealed that the Council Chairperson and Town Secretary are allegedly behind the push to remove Engineer Chindenga and other targeted employees. They claimed the ongoing suspensions are part of a wider purge aimed at those who testified in Chindenga’s defence or assumed acting roles during the Town Secretary’s previous suspension and dismissal over allegations of abuse of office and insubordination, among other charges.

In a detailed dossier submitted to the Ministry of Local Government, Engineer Chindenga chronicled years of harassment, false accusations, and political victimisation within Rusape Town Council.

He joined the authority in May 2018 after serving with distinction as Water and Sewerage Engineer at Gweru City Council. Between July 2020 and October 2021, he even acted as Town Secretary following the suspension and dismissal of Mr. Gabaza, during which he oversaw key infrastructure and service delivery programmes.

However, his success reportedly made him a target of internal rivalries. A self-styled residents’ representative, Mr. Godfrey Mufuranhewe (popularly known as Joytech), led what Chindenga describes as a “smear campaign” that included false social media reports and unverified corruption allegations.

In October 2021, he was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on what he says were “malicious and fabricated charges.” These led to his forced leave in March 2022. Two more allegations followed a month later, all of which were later dismissed by the courts.

By July 2024, the courts had fully acquitted him, ruling that there was no evidence of any criminal conduct. Despite his legal vindication, the council suspended him again in May 2025, this time accusing him of incompetence and “insulting the chairperson”, over incidents allegedly dating back to 2023.

The disciplinary panel’s September 2025 ruling was unequivocal; Chindenga was innocent. The council’s case was riddled with irregularities, from councillors serving as witnesses to the absence of the Town Secretary, who failed to testify despite being the complainant.

Yet, despite this legal clarity, Engineer Chindenga remains locked out of his office, denied the right to resume work.

In his concluding statement to the Ministry, Chindenga lamented how “years of malicious claims, wrongful arrests, and professional victimisation” had destroyed his reputation and undermined public trust in local governance.

“I was never guilty of any offence or misconduct,” he wrote.

“The courts and the disciplinary authority have both confirmed this. What remains is for justice to be implemented,” he said.

The Rusape Town Council saga is the talk in many forums, debate about accountability and abuse of power in local authorities.

Analysts warn that persistent governance failures, political interference, and vendettas are chasing away investors and stalling the town’s economic growth. “Rusape can’t achieve city status when it can’t even protect its own professionals from politics.”