Harare Metropolitan Affairs minister Oliver Chidawu told a
recent meeting that the planned evictions would be politically suicidal as it
could alienate the ruling party from a vital support base ahead of the 2023
general elections.
The messy wrangle pits Rautenbach’s company, Marimba
Residential Properties, against five housing co-operatives — Joshua Nkomo,
Leopold Takawira, Wadzanai, Mydek and Dzapasi — which took possession of the
vast property described as Number 48 Aspindale Park Township of subdivision A
of Aspindale Park of subdivision A of Lochinvar measuring over 100 hectares.
Information obtained by NewsDay Weekender yesterday
indicates that Rautenbach, who has ever since been spiritedly trying and
failing to evict the co-operatives, had roped in Chidawu to help him reclaim
the land.
A meeting was held at Chidawu’s offices on Monday to bring
finality to the matter.However, according to leaked minutes, the meeting ended
in deadlock after Chidawu objected to the tycoon’s push for eviction.
The minister, the minutes show, told Rautenbach that it was
politically suicidal for government to evict party supporters ahead of the 2023
harmonised elections.
“He mentioned that the land was inaccessible due to the
houses that have been built by the co-operatives. He added that evicting the
residents appeared inevitable, but he cited that the move appeared politically
wrong as it would be viewed as the Zanu PF government fighting Zanu PF
supporters in view of the forthcoming year 2003 harmonised plebiscite,” the
minutes read.
According to the minutes, Chidawu also indicated that he
had exhausted options in his efforts to try to assist Rautenbach, whom he
reportedly described as “a personal friend”.
“He highlighted this could be the last meeting with him in
trying to address the issue. He explained that he had already used his
influence to manipulate the police service to further the business tycoon’s
cause and his metropolitan province had now gotten tired,” the minutes show.
According to the minutes, Chidawu then pleaded with
Rautenbach to reduce the purchase price of the disputed land from US$85 per
square metre to US$50 per square metre to allow the occupants to purchase the
land, but the latter shot down the proposal.
“Minister Chidawu pleaded with him to reduce the purchase
price of the land in dispute from US$85 per square metre to US$50 square metre.
That way, the minister promised that he would use his office to influence the
people to accept the new pegged prices and a concession would be inevitable,”
the minutes read.
Still, Rautenbach refused to budge, revealing that he was,
instead, considering increasing the purchase price to US$125 per square metre
after the promulgation of the Statutory Instrument 127, though which government
ordered companies to strictly adhere to the prevailing official exchange rate
when doing local transactions.
The minutes added: “Rautenbach mentioned that if he sells
the land at US$50, he would be bankrupt. He added that he would be left with no
resources to develop infrastructure on the said land. He suggested an option to
buy all constructed houses owned by those residents not forthcoming coming to
his cause and get them relocated elsewhere. He identified ringleaders like
Benedict Nyenyeza aka Mapiravana and Shadreck Majoni (Joshua Mqabuko
Co-operative treasurer) among others who would be evicted in order to bring
about obedience among the residents.”
Rautenbach is also on record having said he would not
compromise on the purchase price, but would rather build a state-of-the-art
Marimba Police Station and donate to government a modernised school within the
property, among other corporate social responsibilities.
The decision to block the eviction could, on the other
hand, prove costly since Rautenbach is widely regarded as a Zanu PF benefactor
who regularly funds its programmes, including conferences and election
campaigns.
Although the opposition MDC Alliance enjoys unassailable
dominance in Harare, Zanu PF retains pockets of support in the capital.
The party got over 300 000 votes in the July 2018
presidential election, which helped its candidate, President Emmerson
Mnangagwa, to claim a wafer-thin victory over the MDC Alliance’s Nelson
Chamisa. Newsday
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