Former Bulawayo councillor Alderman Rodney Jele has been denied bail and remanded in custody to September 10 in a case in which he is facing an extortion charge.
Jele is jointly accused with serving Bulawayo councillors Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu and Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu. The two councillors did not apply for bail.
The trio is accused of allegedly demanding a US$52,000 bribe from a businessman who sought to retain a 50-year lease awarded by the Bulawayo City Council for the development of a hotel and other properties.
Two other councillors, Mxolisi Mahlangu and Ashton Mhlanga, were separately arrested in connection with the same case.
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Bulawayo magistrate Isheunesu Matova dismissed Jele’s bail application, citing the gravity of the allegations and the strength of the evidence linking him to the alleged offence.
“The gravity of the offence supported by available evidence linking the accused person to the offence is overwhelming such that if they are granted bail they may abscond trial,” Matova said.
The magistrate also raised concerns that Jele could interfere with witnesses or evidence if released on bail.
“Due to the nature of the offence, accused is likely to interfere with evidence and/or witnesses. The evidential material can be easily tempered with or concealed as he is familiar with State witnesses, who are the employees from the council in which the accused has access to because of their affluent positions in the society,” he said.
According to the State papers, the matter stems from a 50-year lease awarded by the Bulawayo City Council in 2023 to Mkhuze Global Investments, a company owned by the complainant, for the development of a hotel.
The State alleges that in August 2026, Jele and the other accused persons connived to extort US$52,000 from the businessman.
The court heard that Jele allegedly contacted the complainant and told him that other businesspeople were interested in the stand.
On August 14, Jele allegedly facilitated a meeting between the complainant and the three accused persons at a local restaurant.
“At the meeting the accused persons informed the complainant that another unidentified businessman was offering them US$52,000 to have Mkhuze Global Investments company lease cancelled and the site made available to him,” the court heard.
The complainant was allegedly told that he would have to match the US$52,000 offer to retain the site.
The State further alleges that the accused threatened to use their positions on the Sub-Committee on Allocation of Stands and Premises for Development to recommend cancellation of the lease if the money was not paid.
The complainant subsequently reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in Harare on August 21, leading to a trap being set.
On August 22, the complainant allegedly handed US$5,000 to Jele, who was subsequently arrested while counting the money at the complainant’s house.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
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