Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda who recently made headlines after allegedly implicated in the damning ZINARA saga by Norton independent legislator Temba Mliswa has once again been sucked in a $1 million land scandal which involves ZESA Holdings Pension Fund.
Zim Morning Post understands that Mudenda along with the late Vice President John Landa Nkomo used their political muscle and acquired some commercial stands from Victoria Falls Town Council in 2001.
Mudenda got 3000 hectares and failed to develop the land for more than a decade prompting the town council to summon him with intent of repossession as stipulated by the town authorities by- law.
To avoid losing the land, Mudenda hatched a plan and approached ZESA Holdings Pension Fund offering to sell the land in question located at Stand Number 1351 Victoria Falls township.
Title deeds on the said piece of land were only done after Zesa had paid Mudenda in 2018.
Documents at hand show that the land was valued at 500 000 United States Dollars but Mudenda sold it for twice the market value to ZESA Holdings Pension Fund.
This publication gleaned copies of the bank transfers dated May 24 2018 where ZESA Holdings Pension Fund paid out $500 000 United States Dollars from its Stanbic Bank account number 9140002086010 into Mudenda’s ZB Bank Limited account.
The other $500 000 was deposited to Vic Falls town council and Mudenda literally acted as a ‘middle man’ pocketing half a million United States Dollars in the dubious transaction.
“Mudenda got the commercial land in 2001 from the Town Council, however he did not develop the land in an way. But since he is a powerful politician Council did not reposess the land and they had to allow Mudenda to play a middle man role in the ZESA deal,” opined our source.
Our impeccable source in ZESA Holdings revealed that Mudenda arm twisted ZESA Pension Fund to purchase the land.
“ZESA had no plans to purchase any land in Victoria Falls during that period but they were arm twisted by the Speaker to buy the land since he was going to benefit from the transaction, “said the source.
Efforts to get comment from Mudenda drew a blank as his mobile phone was not reachable by the time of publication on Monday.
Sources also said the transaction is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
