dyton mupawaenda
Blessings Chidakwa-Herald Reporter
HARARE city councillors are facing corruption allegations after reportedly allocating themselves residential stands in leafy suburbs, contrary to Government policy.
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.
Online Reporter
