By Court Reporter
Ten suspected land barons from Ruwa and two senior officials from Harare City Council were arrested yesterday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC Crime Committee for parcelling out land to unsuspecting and desperate home seekers.
Two Harare City Council senior officials, Emanuel Mutambira and Daniel Usingarawe allegedly 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.
The other accused 10 are executive members of Samuel Parirenyatwa Housing Cooperative in Ruwa and Magariro Housing Cooperative in Msasa Park led by Peter Mudavanhu and Spencer Magariro.
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 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.
Regarding the eight accused persons from Samuel Parirenyatwa Housing Cooperative, 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 hectares 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 is 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
