FORMER First Lady Grace Mugabe and a group of her associates are coming under investigation from anti-corruption authorities following complaints that they grabbed residential stands worth US$10 million without paying from an upmarket development on State land in Borrowdale.
Arosume Property Development (Pvt) Limited were appointed
as developers for the land on Carrick Creagh Estate allocated to Sally Mugabe
Housing Cooperative in 2005 and have now lodged complaints with the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the
President’s Office.
They allege that the former First Lady Grace Mugabe and
then Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Minister Ignatious
Chombo used their political clout to transfer stands from the development to
companies they controlled without paying for that land.
Zacc spokesperson, Commissioner John Makamure said the
commission would investigate all reported cases of corruption without fear or
favour, including the Carrick Creagh Estate.
“We are dealing with all suspected cases of corruption that
have either been reported to us, that have appeared in the media or even on
social media. We are determined to allow the law to take its course,” he said.
According to a letter filed with Zacc, Grace Mugabe and Dr
Chombo are accused of using undue influence.
“A tripartite agreement was thus entered into between the
Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Arosume
Property Development (Pvt) Ltd and the Sally Mugabe Housing Cooperative. The
object of the tripartite agreement is the development of upmarket residential
stands of varying sizes at Carrick Creagh Estate, Borrowdale, Harare. To this
end the ministry contributed land owned by the state whilst Arosume Property
Development was tasked with the development of the area,” read the papers.
The agreement came with some regulatory and policy
arrangements, such as the standard 20 percent of the land to be reserved as
Government commonage as required on all developments where State land is
privately developed.
The developer negotiated that 50 undeveloped stands be
transferred to Arosume before work started, due the risks involved in the
scheme. But the bulk of development costs and profits would come when the stands
were sold.
But Arosume now alleges that some with political clout
unprocedurally grabbed land from original beneficiaries and transferred the
properties into companies and individual names without paying for them, reads
the complaint, naming former First Lady Grace Mugabe and former Minister
Ignatius Chombo.
It is alleged that former First Lady Grace Mugabe
transferred to companies under the directorship of two of her children, Bona
and Robert Mugabe Jnr, seven stands totalling just under 10,2ha.
Companies and individuals associated with the First family
that benefited include Farai Olivia Mushonganyika who obtained land worth
US$364 000 without paying, Junior Gumbochuma for land worth US$544 000 (1,2ha),
Penking Investment for land of US$812 000 and Montshow Investments for land of
US$1,9 million.
One of the names appearing on the list is former MDC
legislator Timothy Mubhawu, who is alleged to have received land worth US$432
000.
Former Cabinet minister Chombo is alleged to have grabbed
land worth almost US$1 million with three stands totalling 2,2ha allocated to
three firms including Comverol Enterprises and Cavford Trading. Herald
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