Mutare City Council (MCC) has compiled a dossier listing
properties that were either sold or processed by the city during the tenure of
Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene in a move which
could potentially see former Finance minister Ignatius Chombo being asked to
explain some of the transactions.
This MCC says this is being done to ascertain whether there
have been acts of abuse of office and possible corruption involving the two
former Zanu PF heavyweights.
However, some councillors allege that this is a vengeful
exercise aimed at settling old “political” scores by certain officials within
the MCC.
Chombo is currently on $5 000 bail where is facing a slew
of charges emanating from the time he was Local Government minister while
Chimene has gone into self-imposed exile following the fall of former president
Robert Mugabe.
MCC chamber secretary Cephas Vuta told Eastern News that
they had already compiled and submitted the list of properties they said
belonged Chombo and Chimene.
“We compiled and submitted the list of properties belonging
to former finance minister Chombo and provincial affairs minister Chimene,”
told a full council meeting.
He said this was in line with the military’s operation
which targeted “criminals” around Mugabe.
Among the properties that are under the spotlight is a
residential home in Aloe Garden which councillors claimed was not procedurally
awarded to Zanu PF Mutasa MP Irene Zindi, who allegedly received it as a golden
handshake for serving as one of the city’s commissioner.
Councillors want the house repossessed.
Apart from the house, MCC has extended its investigations
to cover the highly-contested disposal of Meikles Park which was taken by
government in a swap deal with land in Fern Valley which the municipality was
given to expand the city.
Government sold Meikles Park to businessman-cum politician
Esau Mupfumi who had earmarked the area for developing a mall.
National Social Security Authority (Nssa) has challenged
the sale at the High Court arguing that it had purchased Meikles Park before
government’s and MCC swap deal.
The MCC has labelled swap deal bad but town planner Richard
Simbi told the councillors that the transcation between government and council
was above board.
“Meikles Park deal was a very bad deal for council because
there was arm twisting… we however can’t have a short cut…we will have to
follow the legal route.
“There is however a court case pending at the High Court
where Nssa is claiming that it had bought the land before the transaction. So
let us let the law take its course,” Vuta said.
He said the transaction relating to Meikles Park was done
on the basis of a directive from the ministry of local government.
MMC said Chombo was minister at the time.
Simbi, however, dug in telling councilors that “this is
normal practice and it’s not the first time we have had such a deal with
government.”
Chombo and Chimene were said to be part of the Generation
40 (G40) faction which viciously fought President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s bid to
succeed Mugabe in favour of his wife, Grace.
When the military launched its operation in the wee hours
of November 15 in an intervention which it said was targeting ‘criminals’
around Mugabe, several G40 aligned
ministers – including Saviour Kasukuwere, Jonathan Moyo, Patrick Zhuwao and
Chimene have all gone into self-imposed exile.
Chombo was detained
for several days before appearing in court to answer various charges including
corruption. Daily News
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