admin
Chido Nyamuyaruka
Herald Reporter
Norton Town Secretary Kizito Muhomba and 12 councillors have been arrested for allegedly corruptly allocating themselves residential stands at ridiculous prices of as little as $18 per square metre, about US$1 a square metre at the time of the allocation.
The councillors disregarded Government’s evaluation report setting the intrinsic value for stands in Norton at the range of US$8 to US$13 per square metre, converted to local currency when sold, and adopted the price of $30 per square metre, well below a quarter of the cheapest possible price laid down in the evaluation report.
The deals were approved in December 2019 when the official exchange rate was around $17 to the US dollar, so the price in local currency at that time should have been $136 to $221 per square metre.
After effecting the 40 percent discount usually given to serving councillors, the politicians ended up buying their low density stands for $18 per square metre, about US$1 a square metre at the exchange rate then. They bought low density stands ranging in size between 2 000 square metres and 5 199 square metres.
Effectively, a councillor who was allocated a 2 000 square metres stand had to pay $36 000. Top managers in the town still had to pay the full $30 per square metre.
Kizito appeared in court last Friday with councillors Albert Zinyemba (66), Precious Mufahore (42), Douglas Chililo (47), Matiere Silvester Gumisirai (52), Reign Vusumuzi Mtatabikwa (47), Rosemary Chinoera (62), Charles Dube (44), Laston Tichaona (46), Yovane Tapera (48), Tarisai Mazarura (47) and Lawson Nyarumbu ((45).
Charged with criminal abuse of office when they appeared before a Harare magistrate, they were released on $50 000 bail each.
Allegations against the 13 arose on December 3 2019 during a meeting of the council’s Housing and Community Service Committee where they resolved to sell themselves residential stands ranging from 2 000 square metres to 5 199 square metres.
They adopted the price of $30 per square metre which was later reduced to $18 per square metre for councillors.
It is the State contention that the council management acted inconsistent with their duties as public officials, hence they must be prosecuted.
Online Reporter