- Zacc sources say the anti-corruption body swooped on the 5 officials this week
- Investigations are still on going
- Several HCC officials and councillors may be dragged into the saga
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), this week swooped on the Chief magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi, Clemence Chimbari (Regional Prosecutor at Harare Magistrates’ Courts), police investigators Claudious Majonga, Aaron Karuru, Naboth Nyachega and Obey Moyo, who have been sucked in a Harare City Council land scandal, Zim Morning Post can report.
The six officers were allegedly parcelled with unserviced residential stands by the council’s top employees who are facing allegations of defrauding the city fathers of at least US$1 million through illegal land allocation.
The stands are alleged to have been inducements to ensure the council officials obstruct the course of justice.
Zacc sources told the Zim Morning Post that investigations are still underway but the paper trail evidence already shows that the residential stands were parcelled out without due process having been followed.
“Interrogations took place and already we are aware that some officers indeed signed and collected the residential stands,” said the source.
“While we are not yet done with investigations what is coming out is that Mutevedzi did not sign or collect the offered residential stand because no document proves he accepted the offer,” added the source.
However, documents seen by the Zim Morning Post reveal that on March 27 2020 a provisional offer letter was issued to Mutevedzi and was signed by Addmore Nhekairo who is the HCC director of Housing and Community services.
“Please be advised that you have been provisionally selected for the allocation of unserviced residential stand depicted on lay out plan number TPF/WR/12/17 in Westlea Township Harare,” reads Mutevedzi’s offer.
Documents in our possession also revealed that Majonga, Karuru, Nyachega and Moyo were issued with their offer letters on March 19 2020 and they collected the stands in question on the very same day.
“Our investigations also show that the other five implicated officers indeed accepted, collected and countersigned their offer letters,” a Zacc official told the Zim Morning Post.
“Like I said investigations are still going on, we are still to get to the bottom of the matter. What if the stand was signed for by Mutevedzi’s proxy?” question the zacc official.
The offer of residential stands to the six offiers comes at a time when police was investigating the HCC top executives who were, a fortnight ago, apprehended by CID Commercial Crimes Unit and currently face charges of fraud and criminal abuse of office.
The top executives were arrested after a series of articles exposed the land scam in the media in a move that pressured the law enforcement agents to act.
As was reported by the Zim Morning Post the 14 top officials comprised of human capital director Matthew Marara, Tapiwa Gona (head of public lighting),Tonderai Mukora (surveyor), Believer Mupandawana, Tineyi Kureva, Magret Sarudzai George,Mazano Zvakanyorwa, Wellington Tauya, Austin Tapiwanashe, Rudo Pauline Chigocha,Timothy Majena, Bernard Mkuna and Kizito Chikowore.
It is alleged that the accused acted in common purpose and unlawfully identified open spaces in Kuwadzana surburb, created fictitious pay schemes and sundry accounts without following due process.
They would in turn sell the stands to home seekers under misrepresentation that the stands were officially approved by HCC.
At least 150 stands were sold prejudicing HCC of US$1 141 779, 50. The alleged crime was committed between 2017 to 2019 and HCC in fact connected water at the stands in question under the belief that it was approved council land basing on fraudulently laid out plans and fictitious pay schemes created by the accused.
The arrests come after a series of reports in this publication implicating some of the arrested officials along with others who are still scot free on illegal parcelling out of land especially on wetlands.
Trusted sources told this publication that the director of Education, Housing and Community Services, Addmore Nhekairo is working with a syndicate of council officials to fleece the metropolitan of its land.
Residents for the Preservation of Harare City Assets (PHCA) alleged that Nhekairo works in connivance with Getrude Dumba, Edgar Dzehonye, Lovemore Makuwerere, Hammy Madzingira, and Happymore Gotora were illegally selling council land without following proper laid down procedures.
