TOP Harare City Council (HCC) officials and Councillors are now in panic mode following publication of an article in which Margaret Muganga revealed in a suicide note the rampant land corruption within the MDC Alliance-led municipality.
The suicide note named and shamed several high-ranking HCC officials and councillors for teaming up to ‘steal’ open spaces within Greater Harare, with proceeds going directly into their pockets.
Leading the land-theft crusade are named MDC Alliance councillors, with those in party’s executive said to be involved.
Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba has for long been threatening to take stern measures against anyone involved in clandestine land deals.
No tangible steps to curb the vice have, however, so far been made, with many arguing that he is also involved.
As the net closes in on the land ‘mafia’ within HCC following Muganga’s suicide note exposing the who-is-who in land shenanigans, many doubt the resolve by City Fathers and government to tackle the matter once and for all.
“Both Zanu PF and MDC Alliance bigwigs have had a fair share in illicit land deals in Harare, so it feared that anyone who moves in first to expose the other part will suffer the most loss.
“Look at the Land Commission report by Justice Tendai Uchena, there are fears that it could become another white elephant,” a source who preferred anonymity told Zim Morning Post.
“Why do you suppose land barons such as Philip Chiyangwa can still afford to sub-divide ill-gotten land despite threats of punishment by succeeding governments?” he added.
Credible sources with the HCC also told this publication that another way by which residential stands were being ‘stolen’ was through using information from existing title deeds on new and unregistered stands.
Once that is done, the Zim Morning Post source said, the stand would then be developed but never independently registered for as long as one wants.
