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Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent
Suspended Chitungwiza Municipality housing and community services director Hazel Sithole yesterday appeared in court for allegedly allocating 30 commercial stands wrongfully created on a public open space and worth US$240 000 without following standard procedures.
Sithole, who is facing abuse of office charges, appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje who remanded her out of custody on $100 000 bail to July 31.
The State alleged that between January 2019 and October 2020, Sithole, during her tenure of office failed to comply with Chitungwiza Municipality’s housing policy which provided comprehensive procedures supposed to be followed when allocating commercial stands.
Before selling, exchanging, leasing, donating, disposing of, or permitting the use of any land owned by the council, a notice must be published in two issues of a newspaper and posted at the offices of the council.
Moreover, the public should be allowed to make objections within 21 days from the last date of publication.
However, in 2019, Sithole allocated on lease, commercial stands numbers 60189-60218 Unit G, Makoni Business Centre, Chitungwiza, on an area which was reserved as an open space in the master plan.
She went on to disregard the requirements of the Urban Councils Act which stipulates that in allocating commercial and industrial stands, the director of Housing and Community Services must oversee a competitive bidding process with minimum offers determined by council.
Other requirements include submission of adjudication outcome to the Finance Committee for information and awarding following existing procurement procedures and a council resolution.
These requirements are meant to ensure that there is no favouritism, abuse, and other forms of corruption, but they were completely ignored by Sithole.
Mr Pardon Dziva is appearing for the State.
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