HARARE – The sacked Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) CEO Patrick Mavhura was arrested on Thursday evening charged with fraud, police sources told ZimLive.

Mavhura, sacked by the public broadcaster last month, allegedly spent US$340,000 without board authorisation buying a house in Borrowdale.

Meanwhile, the broke ZBC has not yet paid salaries for August.

Mavhura was picked up by investigators from the Special Anti-Corruption Unit and was being held at Matapi Police Station.

“ZBC is the complainant in the matter. Mavhura allegedly diverted payments from advertising agencies meant for the ZBC towards the purchase of his house in Borrowdale,” a police source said.

“ZBC also does barter deals with companies, wherein companies buy airtime in exchange for services or goods. Mavhura is accused of abusing this facility to buy all the furniture and other household goods for his house.”

Investigators also intend to charge the ZBC’s former director of human resources and administration, Benania Shumba, with criminal abuse of office for allegedly abetting Mavhura.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi could not be reached for comment.

A new ZBC board chaired by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s doctor, Josaya Tayi, was announced in July by Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

One of the board’s first moves was to sack Mavhura and Shumba.

Wisdom Hombarume, currently the ZBC’s director of digital media and broadcasting technology, has been named as the acting CEO.

Mavhura took over from Happison Muchechetere as acting CEO in 2014, before he was appointed to the position substantively in 2017.

Workers at the state-controlled broadcaster recently wrote to management asking for an upward salary review, but the ZBC is so broke it has failed to pay the workers their August salaries.