daniel chigunwe
Municipal Reporter
CHITUNGWIZA Municipality has disowned fake offer letters for land backdated to 2019, saying there are no available stands in the town, it has been forbidden from issuing these letters for three years, and the letters now surfacing are for land in servitudes and other areas where the council is forbidden to build.
In a joint statement on the fraudulent offer letters, acting Chitungwiza Mayor Kiven Mutimbanyoka and acting town clerk Evangelista Machona said the council was embargoed from issuing offer letters dating back to November 2019.
“It has come to our attention that there are several offer letters that are being generated purportedly in the name of Mr Alex Mukwewa,” they said. “The majority of these offer letters are being backdated and are being fraudulently offered without the authority of the council.
“Members of the public are therefore being advised against entertaining offer letters issued in the name of Alex Mukwewa. As of October 1, 2020, Mr Mukwewa was sent on forced leave following alleged criminal abuse of office charges as a public officer.”
Mr Mutimbanyoka, who read the statement, said the charges arose from land-related issues and are still pending before the courts.
“Further, be warned that Chitungwiza Municipality will not be held responsible for any offer letters or allocations that were and are still being fraudulently acquired,” they said in the statement. “Such offer letters are null and void.
“Most of these offer letters are double allocations, created on top of sewer lines, wetlands, and electrical power lines and road servitudes.”
Mr Mutimbanyoka said the council was in the process of verifying all land allocations made from 2019 and they are subject to approval in terms of the law.
“The municipality has also withdrawn all date-stamps that were being previously used,” he said. “When the council is able to issue office letters there will have to be full compliance.”
Mr Mutimbanyoka said in the case of residential stands people should be on the council waiting list, there must be interviews and mutual agreement, and the beneficiary must have paid the required deposit for the stand within three months.
The director of housing must make a recommendation to the housing committee before allocating a stand and then to await a full council resolution.
Mr Mutimbanyoka said issuance of offer letters will be done after making the required deposit and then signing of lease agreement forms after paying stand servicing fees and an agreed part of the lease fees.
For commercial, industrial, and institutional stands, the applicants must submit a project proposal, proof of capital, payment of application fee, a competitive bidding process with minimum offer determined by the council, submission of adjudication outcome to finance committee for information and finally awarding following existing procurement procedures, a council resolution, the issue of offer letters, and signing of lease agreements.
He said the lease period shall be a function of an administrative negotiation premised on promoting progressive development subject to council approval.
All stand allocations done without following the procedures had to be subjected to council ratification as well as compliance with the Urban Councils Act.
Where allocations were done, but on-site plans yet to be approved under the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, such layouts shall be submitted to the Director Physical Planning for approval and the council shall then proceed to process the leases.
“Please note that the council is the only authorised local planning authority to create, allocate and sell land,” he said. “The public is further advised that as soon as the council sets proper systems and procedures in place and the Hon Minister in his wisdom scrapes the embargo and re-grants us permission to start issuing offer letters, the council shall start processing the same without further delays.”
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