THE suicide two weeks ago of a Harare City Council (HCC)
employee has exposed massive corruption in the allocation of housing stands by
top officials, with the backing of the city councilors, Zim Morning Post has
learnt.
In a suicide note prior to her death, Margaret Muganga, an
officer in the HCC’s Department of Housing and Community Services – revealed
how municipality land was being “parcelled” away by corrupt top council
officials for personal aggrandisement.
Muganga, who was a housing officer, was responsible with
allocating housing stands on behalf of HCC.
There are allegations that Muganga connived with HCC’s town
clerk, Hosiah Chisango and other top officials in the housing department, to
corruptly sell stands to desperate homeseekers.
The suicide note also implicates the manager in the housing
department, Edgar Dzehonye, identified in the suicide note as DZ.
Dzehonye, together with one Chirisa, Mafiya and Dube are
indicated as the masterminds of the operation, as they were the ones said to
have received the biggest chunk of the loot in every transaction facilitated by
Muganga.
In the suicide note, the town clerk was also exposed for
his trying to cover his tracks in the corruption scandal by sending other
people to collect his loot.
“From that list, Mr DZ (Dzehonye) took US$10 000 via Mai
Dumba to the TC (Town Clerk hosiah Chisango),“ Muganga wrote in her suicide
note.
In the suicde note Muganga also states that “DZ took
US$6000 towards Christmas and I also gave him another US$3000 during lockdown.“
The suicide note also implicated 14 top employees in the
HCC Housing Department.
The residential stands were reportedly sold in Westlea – a
middle-income suburb in Harare, with one being sold in Mabvuku.
The number of stands sold in Westlea was 24 and a total
value of US$62 000.
Muganga is said to have committed suicide in order to avoid
possible reparations that she thought could accrue from an internal audit on
housing stands currently taking place in Harare.
The stands corruption scandal may also likely claim the
scalps of many MDC Alliance councilors who are accused as ones who would
identity open spaces.
“That note is a tip-of-the-iceberg. Councilors from the HCC
are allocating housing stands on wetlands, parks and industrial lands, and this
is what has destroyed the sanity of Harare,” said another council employee at
Rememberence Drive Housing and Community Service offices.
Sources also told the Zim Morning Post that councillors are
parcelling out all open spaces without applying the change of use regulations.
“Several pen spaces around the city and residential surbubs
have been sold out without due diligence. Some play parks have now been
converted into residential stands,” said the source.
Two Harare high density suburbs, Kuwadzana and Kuwadzana
Extension, appear to have suffered the most from this scandal.
A huge wetland between Kuwadzana 7, 5 and Kuwadzana
Extension was reportedly also corruptly allocated to two housing cooperatives.
It is also said many open spaces in the two suburbs are
being filled-up corruptly, with party affiliated businesspersons said to be
benefitting the most. Zim Morning Post
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