News / National
'Chombo protecting ill-gotten properties'
05 Dec 2013 at 05:22hrs | Views
ZENGEZA East MP Alexio Musundire (MDC-T) yesterday accused Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo of "micro-managing local authorities" in order to protect his ill-gotten properties, especially in Chitungwiza.
Musundire made the remarks in Parliament while moving a motion calling on government to arrest land barons, illegal land developers and unregistered housing co-operatives.
This came as a government demolition exercise targeting 10 000 houses built on unserviced pieces of land, public spaces and illegal areas could affect thousands of people in the area.
Local Government deputy minister Joel Big Matiza, who heads a probe team to investigate how these people were allocated land, is yet to present its findings to Chombo this week.
Musundire said: "The problem that we have rests with the Ministry of Local Government where the minister micro-manages local authorities and his desire is to protect his personal fortune in Chitungwiza and elsewhere as we know his companies have benefited from local authorities and the corrupt activities.
"The minister also appointed his former election campaign manager Godfrey Tanyanyiwa as Chitungwiza town clerk and the evil in Chitungwiza rests with Tanyanyiwa."
Tanyanyiwa is currently serving a two-year prison term for fleecing the local authority of large sums of money.
Musundire also accused Chitungwiza South MP Christopher Chigumba (Zanu PF)of corruptly allocating 1 000 residential stands on a piece of land meant for 100 stands through his Zanoremba Housing Co-operative.
"There is no way one can talk of illegal settlements in Chitungwiza without mentioning the name of Fraderick Mabamba and stands are being sold like tomatoes.
These people involved in illegal land dealings should be arrested. An area for 14 primary schools has been converted to 1 323 housing units and 10 schools were taken by Mabamba."
He said Mabamba had grabbed and converted land meant for cemeteries, stadiums and sports clubs into residential stands without effecting change of land use.
Mabamba operates five schools in Chitungwiza and recently told NewsDay that he hoped to construct a university - People's University in Africa for Sustainable Development - at Chitungiwza Town Centre next year on a piece of land he claims to have procedurally acquired.
Musundire further said: "Two stadiums were allocated to Lazarus Mhurushomana, a former Zifa (Zimbabwe Football Association) official, and he has managed to convert the stadiums into 339 stands. We have a public toilet in Unit M which was sold by a Zanu PF councillor."
Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi (MDC-T) challenged Zanu PF to provide housing "for all" as promised in its economic blueprint policy document ZimAsset.
Musundire made the remarks in Parliament while moving a motion calling on government to arrest land barons, illegal land developers and unregistered housing co-operatives.
This came as a government demolition exercise targeting 10 000 houses built on unserviced pieces of land, public spaces and illegal areas could affect thousands of people in the area.
Local Government deputy minister Joel Big Matiza, who heads a probe team to investigate how these people were allocated land, is yet to present its findings to Chombo this week.
Musundire said: "The problem that we have rests with the Ministry of Local Government where the minister micro-manages local authorities and his desire is to protect his personal fortune in Chitungwiza and elsewhere as we know his companies have benefited from local authorities and the corrupt activities.
"The minister also appointed his former election campaign manager Godfrey Tanyanyiwa as Chitungwiza town clerk and the evil in Chitungwiza rests with Tanyanyiwa."
Tanyanyiwa is currently serving a two-year prison term for fleecing the local authority of large sums of money.
Musundire also accused Chitungwiza South MP Christopher Chigumba (Zanu PF)of corruptly allocating 1 000 residential stands on a piece of land meant for 100 stands through his Zanoremba Housing Co-operative.
"There is no way one can talk of illegal settlements in Chitungwiza without mentioning the name of Fraderick Mabamba and stands are being sold like tomatoes.
These people involved in illegal land dealings should be arrested. An area for 14 primary schools has been converted to 1 323 housing units and 10 schools were taken by Mabamba."
He said Mabamba had grabbed and converted land meant for cemeteries, stadiums and sports clubs into residential stands without effecting change of land use.
Mabamba operates five schools in Chitungwiza and recently told NewsDay that he hoped to construct a university - People's University in Africa for Sustainable Development - at Chitungiwza Town Centre next year on a piece of land he claims to have procedurally acquired.
Musundire further said: "Two stadiums were allocated to Lazarus Mhurushomana, a former Zifa (Zimbabwe Football Association) official, and he has managed to convert the stadiums into 339 stands. We have a public toilet in Unit M which was sold by a Zanu PF councillor."
Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi (MDC-T) challenged Zanu PF to provide housing "for all" as promised in its economic blueprint policy document ZimAsset.
Source - newsday
