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BULAWAYO deputy mayor Councillor Gift Banda is pushing the local authority to allow him to pay for 3,5 hectares of land which he controversially acquired recently from the local authority, at a discount and over a period of three years.
Clr Banda purchased the piece of land in May for a paltry $130 000, for the construction of town houses for middle and high income earners, a move that was met by a revolt from Bulawayo residents. The land is a portion of Ascot Race Course, 5km east of the Bulawayo city centre.
In the latest developments, the deputy mayor made an application requesting that the stand be categorised under a recent directive from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing that councillors could purchase residential, commercial or industrial stands at a discounted rate and payable during the councillor’s tenure in office.
If Clr Banda’s application is approved, it will mean he will have three years two months to pay off the debt.
According to a council confidential report, Clr Banda had written to the local authority requesting that the stand be converted from an ordinary purchase to that of the special facility availed for every councillor.
“It will be recalled that deputy mayor (Clr Banda) was allocated a town house site at Ascot Race Course. The department has a request by the deputy mayor to be allowed to pay off the stand over his tenure in office as specified in the Ministerial circular.
“As the deputy mayor had already been allocated the above mentioned stand, can this request be implemented in retrospect? Secondly, the circular clearly advised that councillors who previously benefitted on the residential stands should not benefit on their second term. However, the circular is silent when it comes to commercial and industrial stands,” reads the council report.
It was further reported that the deputy mayor was trying to be enjoined in the new circular despite having allocated the stand in question before the circular had been issued. According to the Ministerial circular (number 3 of 2015) all councillors are set to purchase stands at discounted prices.
“Councillors, including mayors and chairpersons, may access residential stands in the same local authority at 40 percent discount of the purchase provided same have not been previously allocated residential stands at a concessionary price in their capacity as councillors.
“In urban local authorities, councillors may be eligible for allocation of one commercial and industrial stand in the same local authority subject to availability. However, discounts shall not apply to commercial and industrial stands as these shall be accessed at commercial rates,” reads part of the letter contained in the confidential report.
Efforts to get a comment from Clr Banda were fruitless. In a council report detailing Clr Banda’s purchase, the local authority acknowledges that the piece of land awarded to him was a prime location in an upmarket area due to its accessibility and proximity to Ascot Shopping Centre.
“The department of housing and community services commented that ‘there are no objections subject to the usual terms and conditions of Council. Furthermore the development is in sync with the adjacent housing areas. However, in future a holistic excision of land in the area will be ideal’,” read part of a council report.
Clr Banda’s purchasing of the piece of land resulted in the Affirmative Action Group (Matabeleland Chapter) giving the city’s mayor Clr Martin Moyo an ultimatum to explain Clr Banda’s purchasing of the land alleging that this exposed the local authority as being tainted with corruption.
Online Reporter