Two senior officials from Harare city council were alleged
to have connived with the then Harare mayor Herbert Gomba and suspended mayor
Jacob Mafume who was then Human Resources Committee chair, to illegally sell
four commercial stands.
They are Emmanual Mutambirwa (49) who is acting city
valuation and estates manager and Daniel Usingarawe from the same department.
They are expected to appear in court today.
The 10 others are executive members of Samuel Parirenyatwa
Housing Cooperative in Ruwa and Magariro Housing Cooperative in Msasa Park led
by Peter Mudavanhu and Spencer Magariro .
They are alleged to have parcelled out State land and
pocketed the money.
From Samuel Parirenyatwa Housing Cooperative, Zacc arrested
eight suspects who include David Sanyamandwe, Beauty Manase, Yohani Yohani,
Mukai Raymond, Shau Mavhinga, Everisto Cundangarinwa, Biggie Hoshola and Ali
Hoshola.
ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure last night
confirmed the arrest of the 12 saying the anti-graft body would not leave any
stone unturned in its quest to fight corruption.
He said they had launched full investigations across the
country as it took its fight to land barons.
“We are determined to restore sanity in the sale of land.
Pursuant to President Mnangagwa’s call for zero tolerance to corruption, we
will leave no stone unturned,” said Comm Makamure.
Comm Makamure said Mutambirwa, as custodian of council
land, connived with former mayor Gomba in September 2018, and caused the
creation of commercial stands for sale to four beneficiaries near Old Hararians
Sports Club, corner Drummond Chaplin Street and Bishop Gaul Avenue.
Gomba and Mafume are currently on remand on allegations of
corruption and abuse of office.
Comm Makamure said Mutambirwa is alleged to have instructed
the city of Harare’s planning division to draft a plan sub-dividing the said
piece of land at Old Hararians Sports Club creating five stands.
“The stands were for a proposed creche, medical centre,
market place, active recreational space and fuel station,” said Comm Makamure.
After a no objection, Samuel Nyabeze, head of the City of
Harare’s planning division, was under pressure through phone calls and verbal
communication from Gomba and Mafume to expedite the sub-division plan approval.
It is alleged that Nyabeze succumbed to the pressure
despite the required change of reservation process, and approved the sale.
Mutambirwa and Usingarawe, together with Gomba and Mafume,
disregarded special conditions and sold the commercial stands to four companies
owned by the same family at a total cost of Z$5,2 million.
“The accused persons acted unlawfully by selling four
commercial stands on subdivision plan without change of reservation process as
guided by section 49(3) of the Regional Town and Country Planning Act,” said
Comm Makamure
Regarding the eight accused persons from Samuel Parirenyatwa
Housing Cooperative, Comm Makamure said investigations had shown that working
in connivance with site planners, they fraudulently sub-divided stands on
undesignated areas meant for a secondary school and created 90 residential
stands and another stand covering four hactares meant for two primary schools
where they created 80 residential stands
They are further accused of illegally sub-dividing wetlands
and open spaces measuring 10 hectares where they created 120 stands and
reserved buffers with another piece measuring
two hectares creating 30 stands thereby creating 340 stands in total.
It was alleged that acting upon the misrepresentation, 340
members of the public bought the stands which they paid for to Samuel
Parirenyatwa Housing Cooperative. Several home seekers went on to construct
residential houses on the undesignated areas.
As a result of that misrepresentation, the Ministry of
Local Government and Public Works was prejudiced of US$1 million.
Regarding two executives from Magariro Housing Cooperative,
it is alleged that the two accused persons duped several home seekers through
selling them residential stands which were already allocated to other
beneficiaries. Herald
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