7-year land row persists

Municipal Reporter
The seven-year dispute over the ownership of Zanoremba Housing Cooperative in Chitungwiza is raging on despite a High Court order barring the warring parties from interfering with one another’s rights and from selling the land in question. Suspected land baron and Chitungwiza councillor Kalisto Masango, who has a pending fraud case in which home-seekers lost about $300 000, is allegedly still parcelling out land in the area while he accuses Chitungwiza South legislator Cde Christopher Chigumba of pursuing egoistic interests at the expense of cooperative members.

Masango, who has lost several court battles against the legislator, says over 3 000 soldiers have lost their land in the area as a result with the latest being an order interdicting him from carrying out any activities on the land in question passed last month.

However, Cde Chigumba yesterday said the councillor must respect court processes.

“I am owed over $5 million by people in the area after constructing over 2 000 houses and servicing over 2 000 stands in the area. The councillor who is a land is baron is just identifying stands which are not registered at council and using his links in the local authority to register them and sell them to home seekers.

“Contrary to his claims, in our register we have less than 800 members of the army. We gave people houses so that they pay in instalments but we were affected by the Zimdollar era. We have revised the pricing and members are supposed to pay instalments of $30 monthly until the amount reaches $5 000,” he said.

He said those who paid in the Zim dollars will have their monies deducted and they will pay the balance.

Cde Chigumba said Masango, who is also a beneficiary, only paid around $1 000 for the house he was allocated.

He said the High Court judgment was clear as it stipulates that he does not have anything to do with Zanoremba.

“He wants to continue doing illegal activities in the area,” he said.

In the court case, it is alleged that Masango allegedly sold land belonging to Chitungwiza Municipality to home-seekers.

In 2004, it is alleged Masango and his accomplices identified 100 hectares near Unit L, Seke, belonging to the Chitungwiza Municipality and reserved for a cemetery, residential State land and a wetland and sold it to home seekers.