News / National
Govt to probe Mutare's Gimboki South Housing Scheme
25 Aug 2015 at 15:43hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has set up a five-member probe team to investigate anomalies at Mutare's Gimboki South Housing Scheme in which more than 5 000 beneficiaries have lost millions of dollars due to corruption, fraud and rampant abuse of depositors' funds.
Manica Post reported that Manicaland Provincial Administrator, Fungai Mbetsa, revealed this week that the team which began its work about a month ago was set up by the ministry following several complaints that were lodged by some members of the housing project.
Among other duties, he said, the mandate of the team was to investigate cases of double allocations, fraud, corruption and willful abuse of money deposited by beneficiaries towards the development of high-density stands at the restive scheme.
"In the next two weeks, the team is supposed to give me its findings regarding the housing scheme. Several complaints and reports have been made by beneficiaries alleging that they are losing out money due to corruption, while some were aggrieved by numerous cases of double allocations. We hope that all these concerns will be captured in the report after which Government will take corrective measures to bring order at the scheme as well as ensure that those who took people's money pay back," he said.
An executive member of the Mutare Housing Consortium, which is mandated to run the housing scheme, said the probe team would unearth a litany of cases in which unsuspecting beneficiaries were duped of millions of dollars.
"The team has since ordered every cooperative to bring its accounts books and bank statements to scrutinise how much money was deposited since the beginning of the scheme in July 2007," said the member who requested anonymity.
As the situation turns into a free-for-all the consortium now wants the Mutare City Council to take over the scheme and complete it.
Town Clerk, Obert Muzawazi, reportedly insisted that council will only take over the scheme if all members of the consortium audit their books and show how they used the money they collected from people develop the stands. He said those who abused funds must be made to repay beneficiaries and not for the local authority to be used to clean up the mess left by crooks.
Manica Post reported that Manicaland Provincial Administrator, Fungai Mbetsa, revealed this week that the team which began its work about a month ago was set up by the ministry following several complaints that were lodged by some members of the housing project.
Among other duties, he said, the mandate of the team was to investigate cases of double allocations, fraud, corruption and willful abuse of money deposited by beneficiaries towards the development of high-density stands at the restive scheme.
"In the next two weeks, the team is supposed to give me its findings regarding the housing scheme. Several complaints and reports have been made by beneficiaries alleging that they are losing out money due to corruption, while some were aggrieved by numerous cases of double allocations. We hope that all these concerns will be captured in the report after which Government will take corrective measures to bring order at the scheme as well as ensure that those who took people's money pay back," he said.
"The team has since ordered every cooperative to bring its accounts books and bank statements to scrutinise how much money was deposited since the beginning of the scheme in July 2007," said the member who requested anonymity.
As the situation turns into a free-for-all the consortium now wants the Mutare City Council to take over the scheme and complete it.
Town Clerk, Obert Muzawazi, reportedly insisted that council will only take over the scheme if all members of the consortium audit their books and show how they used the money they collected from people develop the stands. He said those who abused funds must be made to repay beneficiaries and not for the local authority to be used to clean up the mess left by crooks.
Source - Manicapost
