Zivhu fires back at Mliswa

Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association director Mr Killer Zivhu says the Norton Galloway housing development is above aboard and no criminal offence was committed in implementing the project.

Mr Zivhu accused Norton House of Assembly representaive Mr Temba Mliswa (Independent) of playing politics after the latter raised allegations of short-changing beneficiaries of the housing scheme.

Last week, Mr Mliswa told The Sunday Mail that he had reported Mr Zivhu to the police over alleged shady land deals in the town.

Mr Mliswa said he had also written to Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Dr Augustine Chihuri, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and National Prosecuting Authority Acting Prosecutor-General Mr Ray Goba, asking them to probe Mr Zivhu's deals in Norton, which cover about 700ha.

Mr Zivhu responded saying Mr Mliswa was out to dent his image because the housing developer had expressed an interest in contest for the Norton Parliamentary seat next year.

"The allegations raised by Mliswa are nothing but a political gimmick. His claim that he has reported me to the police is a ruse to give weight to a non-issue. It is common knowledge that I have expressed interest to possibly contest as a MP for Norton in 2018 and Mliswa has become so paranoid and afraid of losing the seat, hence he is resorting to all sorts of dirty tricks," he said.

Mr Zivhu said the Galloway project was running within agreed timelines after Norton Town Council gave Zaha the green light to develop residential stands and transfer properties to individual owners by 2020.

He said contrary to Mr Mliswa's claim that Zaha had failed to provide title deeds to beneficiaries of the scheme, the process to avail the documentation was well on course.

"For starters, the agreement that we have with Norton Council binds us to provide title deeds by 2020. So the deadline for us to provide the deeds is still well within reach. However, we have said that those who feel that they urgently need their title deeds can come forward and we will start the process.

"What this means is that the registration of deeds is going to delay some of the developments on site because the process requires huge amounts of money."

In a letter seen by The Sunday Mail, Norton Council chief executive Mr Winslow Muyambi wrote to the Registrar of Deeds on October 20, 2015 saying he had "no objection to the transfer of stands to individual purchasers so that the stands may be registered in the name of individuals purchasers" by December 31, 2020.

Mr Zivhu said there were no outstanding issues between the land owners and Zaha as he had paid for the land in full.

"We are in total agreement with Galloway Enterprises and Kennan properties, who facilitated the sale of the land to us," he said.

Mr Zivhu said the Galloway project was progressing well despite having suffered a setback after US$1,4 million belonging to the company was locked in the now defunct Allied Bank Limited.

He added: "We will not be deterred in our goal to provide housing to people in line with the objectives of ZimAsset because of a few disgruntled people. The bulk of people who have benefited from this project are happy. At US$5 per square metre, this is one of the most affordable housing projects for a low density area in the country."