GOVERNMENT has tightened screws on all urban councils,
demanding information on all residential stands acquired by councillors as it
moves to unearth land scandals.
In a letter dated July 27 and directed to all urban
councils, Local Government permanent secretary Zvinechimwe Churu ordered all
urban councils to provide information on residential and commercial stands
involving councillors to the Local Government minister July Moyo and provincial
development co-ordinators.
“In light of the numerous recent cases reported on and
uncovered by investigations, each council is hereby required to submit the
following documents to the ministry by August 4 — a printout from the estates
account of all persons paying for land acquired from council, a list of all
stands ie residential, commercial, industrial with the following information
(the name of the councillor and his/her ward, the size of the stand and the
price, whether the councillor is still in possession of the stand, if the stand
has been sold or ceded, the name of the new stand owner, the status of payment
for the stand, the level of development that has occurred on the stand)” the
letter read.
A number of councillors particularly in Harare have been
implicated in massive stands scandals with mayor Herbert Gomba currently out on
$10 000 bail for alleged dubious allocation of stands. The fraudulent
allocation of stands has cost local authorities millions of dollars with
councillors reportedly pocketing large sums of money from illegal land sales.
Although corruption involving stands is rampant in most
councils throughout the country, government is allegedly targeting MDC
Alliance-run councils which it accuses of financing the party heavyweights’
fancy lifestyles, sponsoring subversion as well as setting aside a war chest
for the 2023 elections through illicit deals.
“We also require a list of all infills created since the
swearing in of councillors and the beneficiaries of the stands created, and a
list of stands available in the council land bank,” Churu added.
Some urban councillors are reportedly illegally parcelling
out infills without approval from council and pocketing the proceeds.
In Marondera, thousands of people were made to pay US$1 500
to council in 2015 on the pretext that they would be allocated land at Elmswood
Farm, but are yet to get the residential stands despite the local authority
acknowledging receipt of the money. Newsday
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