Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Ward 28 Councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu on Tuesday abandoned their bail application in the alleged US$52,000 extortion case, leaving former Ward 22 councillor Alderman Rodney Jele to continue his bid for freedom.
The three appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Isheunesu Matova on allegations of attempting to extort US$52,000 from a local businessman in connection with a 50-year lease for a proposed hotel development.
Through their lawyers, the two councillors told the court they would not pursue bail at this stage. Kholwani Ngwenya, appearing for Nqobani Sithole’s clients, said he had been instructed not to proceed.
Jele’s lawyer, Prince Butshe-Dube, challenged the admissibility and reliability of the statements and affidavit relied on by the State, arguing they were obtained in circumstances that violated his client’s constitutional rights.
He said Jele was not given timely access to legal representation before the statements were recorded and questioned whether he would have said the same had his lawyer been present. The defence also challenged the authenticity of the documents.
However, a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officer who opposed bail rejected claims that Jele was denied access to a lawyer. The officer told the court that Jele had tried to contact his lawyer several times without success, but investigators had not deliberately prevented him from doing so.
The officer said the allegations were particularly serious given Jele’s previous senior position in the council, adding that as a former public official he was expected to uphold the city’s interests.
Butshe-Dube disputed this, arguing that his client was only allowed to seek legal representation after investigators had already recorded the statements they wanted.
After hearing arguments, Matova remanded the matter to Thursday for a ruling on Jele’s bail application.
According to ZACC, the accused demanded US$52,000 from a local businessman to allow him to keep a 50-year lease agreement entered into in March 2023 for a hotel development.
The businessman was allegedly told another investor was prepared to pay US$52,000 to have the lease cancelled and was advised to match the amount if he wanted to retain it. The complainant approached ZACC, which set up a trap leading to the arrests.
This is not Ndlovu’s first brush with the law. In August 2025, he was acquitted of demanding a US$20,000 bribe from a company seeking land for a cement-mixing plant in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo magistrate Richard Ramaboea ruled that the State had failed to produce sufficient evidence linking him to the offence, finding key evidence unreliable and contradictory.
He had been jointly charged with then Ward 26 Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, who was convicted of bribery but released on bail pending appeal.
More: Chronicle
