Zimbabwe grapples with 'Rhodesian properties'

The matter of Zimbabwe's properties in Mozambique that have not been transferred from the then Rhodesia, 34 years after independence, Monday spilled into parliament with the Attorney General's (AG) office claiming it is seized with the matter.

Last month there was a report that the Comptroller and Auditor General Mildred Chiri in her 2011 national report had revealed that the last Rhodesian government, under Ian Smith, is still listed as title holder of properties in Zimbabwe's eastern neighbour.

Deputy AG Kumbirai Hodzi told the parliamentary portfolio committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs his office had asked the ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct an audit of all  'Rhodesian'  properties across the globe. Hodzi was responding to a question from Zanu-PF Masvingo Central lawmaker Daniel Shumba who had asked Hodzi to clarify "press reports that there are government properties in Mozambique that have not been transferred from Rhodesia".

"This is something we have been working on; we had a strategic meeting to make sure all properties on foreign soil are transferred efficiently.

"We have given advice to the ministry of foreign affairs to carry out a comprehensive audit and that is being done," said Hodzi.However Shumba seemed unimpressed and went off: "We have a problem here where we seem not to have instruments to measure our competences.

"We cannot have a situation where we spend 34 years trying to transfer a property. There should be consequences for people who do not act on advice. You (AG)'s office cannot just provide advice and wait for people to implement," said Shumba.

In a damning indictment on the Foreign ministry headed by Simbabashe Mumbengegwi, Chiri in the report, now before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, also revealed the ministry of Foreign Affairs rented out housing units that had been constructed for consular staff in Beira.

"There are properties in Mozambique which are supposed to be under the ownership of the government of Zimbabwe.

However at the date of the audit, the ownership status of some of these properties was not clear," said Chiri.

"The properties, which were owned by the Rhodesian government should have been transferred to the Zimbabwean government on the attainment of independence in 1980. Proof of ownership in the form of title deeds was not availed for my inspection."

Zanu-PF's guerrilla wing, the Zimbabwe National People's Liberation  Army (Zanla) used Mozambique as its launchpad for assaults into the then Rhodesia in a bitter war of attrition against Smith's government that had been ostracised by the British government following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in November 1965. Chiri also accused Mumbengegwi's department of "nugatory and wasteful" expenditure.

"The government of Zimbabwe constructed a block of flats in Beira for consulate staff comprising six housing units during the financial years 2002 to 2003.

"I noted there was an element of nugatory and wasteful expenditure arising from the arrangement where one consulate staff member was living in a rented property at a monthly rental $1 500, while four units where rented out to outsiders," Chiri said.

"The payment of $18 000 per annum in respect of rentals could have been avoided if the available units had been applied to consulate staff before offering the same to outsiders."