The move follows the recent death of Mr Fani Machipisa, the
head of human shelter services, who had been accused of resisting councillors’
corrupt demands.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works allows
councillors to be allocated residential stands only within the wards they
represent.
If no space is available in their wards, they can be
allocated stands in neighbouring wards.
However, evidence suggests that many councillors have
received stands in areas such as Borrowdale, Highlands, Greendale and Mt
Pleasant.
Sources within council said there was infighting among
councillors, amid claims that only a select group aligned with Mayor Councillor
Jacob Mafume, was receiving preferential treatment in the allocation of the
coveted stands.
Most suburbs in northern Harare were developed by private
investors and landowners, so there would be very little land available to the
city council under municipal ownership.
Even then, such properties would involve change of land
use, and so there would be hardly any stands that could be created to be
assigned to councillors.
“It is dog-eat-dog as only a cabal aligned to mayor Mafume
is the one that is being given first preference to the affluent suburbs of
Harare. Others are being sidelined”, said a source.
Housing committee chairperson and Ward 2 Councillor
Blessing Muroiwa dismissed the allegations.
“Our parent Ministry’s circular is very clear on that
matter. It states that each councillor shall be allocated a residential stand
in his or her ward and that’s what we are following,” said Clr Muroiwa.
“To my records, no councillor has been allocated a stand
outside his ward including myself. I am waiting until I get a vacant stand in
Ward 2”.
However, the situation is not new. In 2022, CCC councillors
were implicated in a land scam where they were buying commercial and industrial
stands for as little as US$60 and reselling them at inflated prices.
The scandal involved several councillors and top council
officials, raising concerns about systemic corruption within the local
authority.
A Commission of Inquiry into Harare City Council’s affairs
since 2017, has been investigating these land scams, and so far the probe has
revealed that councillors illegally invaded and allocated over 5 000 plots
ahead of elections in 2023.
The inquiry noted a pattern of land grabs by opposition
councillors during election years to attract voters.
With ongoing investigations and a history of corruption,
the allocation of residential stands by Harare councillors remains a
contentious issue, highlighting the need for greater transparency and
accountability within the city’s governance. Herald
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