Southlea saga: seven more arrested

Police in Harare yesterday arrested seven more Odar Housing Co-operative executive members as the fight for ownership of Odar Farm in Southlea Park between a co-operative and businessman Phillip Chiyangwa deepens.

The arrest of the seven comes two days after another executive member of the co-operative, Retired Colonel Patson Mabika, was arrested on Saturday.

Mabika is battling to get bail at the Harare Magistrates' Court. The eight, who include Odar housing co-operative chairman Benny Matenga, were arrested by officials from the Police Law and Order section on allegations of selling land that did not belong to them.

Meanwhile, Cainos Chingombe a top Harare City Council executive, accused of acquiring a massive 40 623 square meters of land in Mandara for speculative purposes has denied any wrongdoing saying plans were underway to build a school.

Chingombe, the human capital director for the city, was allocated the vast tract of land for $406 000 through his company Caneview Investments (Pvt) Ltd. On July 17, the city published a notice in the Press proposing to sell the land to Caneview Investments, but immediately after its publication, residents in Mandara wrote a petition stating various reasons why they were objecting to the acquisition.