In a report on the Chronicle, Zimbabwe, Patrick Chitumba reported that, “Gweru City Council (GCC) officials allegedly allocated each other more than one stand against the council policy allowing just one stand per person.”
Each Council official is by law allowed to buy only one stand.
However, Gweru City Council Managers and Councilors are purportedly went against the resolution of this policy and allocated each other more than one stand.
According to the Chronicle report, “Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) said it is looking into the matter.”
The Chronicle claims to have in possession of documents with full evidence that, “officials in the Housing and Community Services department allegedly allocated themselves more than a stand each at a time when there is a moratorium on the selling of stands.”
The top MDC Alliance Official implicated is Mr Murisi Zwizwai.
According to the Chronicle report, Mr Murisi Zvizvai “benefited from the scam and paid a paltry ZW$12 437 for stand number 3042 Randolph Phase 1 which is 5 407m2, seven years after he was offered the stand.
On the market, a stand which is 1 000m2 is going for about US$10 000 but council sold Mr Zwizwai 5 407m2 for less than US$120″
The above is against the Council regulation which stipulates that after receiving a stand offer letter one is supposed to pay a deposit within seven days. Failure to do that, one is supposed to be given a two-year grace period to pay the balance failure of which could result in the repossession of the stand.
Mr Zwizwai bleached the above process and is purportedly to have “only paid for the stand this month.”
Mr Zvizvai seem to be denying these allegations and claim he have been paying for the stand since 2013.
“I have been paying for the stand in Gweru, that all I can say,” the Chronicle.
However, the City Mayor, Clr Makombe accused Zvizvai fir failure to respond to council resolution on time. He was also alarmed as to why the stand was not repossessed by the Council.
“I will need to look into this matter. It’s all administrative and if we are not alerted by whistle blowers like in this case, we will be in the dark,” said Clr Makombe as quoted by the Chronicle.
Other Council Officials involved in this scam according to the City of Gweru debtors billing document possessed by the Chronicle, are:
One, the director of Housing and Community Services Mr Shingirirayi Tigere who got one stand in Randolph Phase 1 and another one in Senga suburb. He have made a part payment towards the possession of the two stands.
Two, Mr Tigere’s assistant Mrs Unity Jaji who got a stand in Randolph Phase 1 and another one in Mkoba 21 and has also made part payment towards the purchase of the two stands.
Three, assistant director Mr Manford Gambiza who was allocated a stand in Mkoba 21 and another in Randolph Phase 1 and has since made part payment towards the purchase of the two stands.
Four, Housing officer Mr Admire Chigayo who also got a stand in Randolph Phase 1 and the second one in Mkoba 21.
Five, Mr Biggie Ngadze, a senior administration officer who was allocated a stand in Mkoba 21 and another one in Randolph Phase 1 and has since made part payment towards the purchase of the two stands.
Six, Mr Tigere’s secretary Mrs Emma Manyika who was allocated a stand in Mkoba 21 and another one in Randolph Phase 2. The Chronicle has documents confirming the beneficiaries’ stand numbers and amounts paid so far towards the purchase of the stands.
Mr Tigere, Mrs Jaji, Mr Gambiza, Mr Ngadze, Mr Chigayo and Mrs Manyika purporttedly refused to comment on the grounds that they are not allowed to speak to the Press as council had channels of communication.
However, the Gweru City Mayor Councilor Josiah Makombe accused Mr Tigere and his subordinates of abusing council resources for their benefit.
According to the Chronicle, “He said it was baffling that Mr Tigere and his subordinates allocated themselves stands against council policy which limits individuals to just one stand.”
He accused Mr Tigere for the criminal abuse of office. He said:
“The director of Housing and Community Services and his subordinates have allocated themselves more than one stand each against council policy. Employees in the department of Engineering Services have also done the same. We can’t have that as it is tantamount to poor corporate governance.”
He said Mr Tigere and other managers are entitled to one stand each as part of their conditions of service.
The move have crippled the Council operations for they have since stopped selling land because of the Government’s moratorium on selling of land within local authorities.
“We have investors who want to invest and need land but we are not selling the land because we are following the circular on the moratorium by the ministry,” said Clr Makombe as quoted by the Chronicle.
In a bid to fight Corruption, the Council have since engaged ZACC and the police to assist in the investigation of the suspected abuse of council resources by council managers.
“We approached ZACC and they said they are coming and it has been long. We have a situation where management is abusing resources and the residents will think that it’s the councilors. We are appealing for assistance from relevant law enforcement agencies to bring order to our council,” said Clr Makombe as noted by the Chronicle.
It is also reported the ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said they are making a follow up.