adminNyore Madzianike
Senior Court Reporter
FORMER Harare housing director and also acting human resources director Mathew Marara is facing further charges of creating stands on public open space, this time in Borrowdale, and allegedly allocated his lover a 5 000 square-metre stand where he built her a house without paying a cent towards the purchase of the stand.
Marara, who is already remanded on bail over allegations of creating 150 stands in Kwadzana without authority, is now accused of teaming up with Harare City Council’s former housing allocations officer Aaron Tayerera to manufacture a layout plan for a 6 446 hectares of reserved open space in Quinnington and subdividing it into seven residential stands without council’s approval or the approval of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Marara yesterday appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with criminal abuse of office charges and was remanded out of custody on $5 000 bail. Last week, Tayerera separately appeared before the same court on similar charges and was released on bail.
Prosecuting, Mrs Netsai Mushayabasa had it that council owned stand 277 Quinnington, Borrowdale and reserved it as an open space without subdividing it. Private developers of new residential areas are required to handover a percentage of the land for public purposes of education, health, recreation and open space before they can subdivide and develop the remainder into housing stands.
Marara and Tayerera, acting in common purpose, allegedly manufactured a layout plan for the public open space and referred it to TPF/ER/09/16 before subdividing it into seven residential stands without approval from the council or the ministry.
Between September and December 2016, the two allegedly then allocated the residential stands. One was sold to Maud Jena, who allegedly had sired a son with Marara, for US$46 000 and he gave her an offer letter without recommendations from the allocation committee. Further allegations are that Jena went on to build a house at the stand without paying any cent towards the price of the stand, with Marara allegedly building the house.
Another stand was allocated to Philda Muringani, who also did not pay any cent towards the purchase of the piece and later went on to sell it to Marvelous Mujaji and Lungani Nyamazana for US$110 000. A third stand was allocated to Thomas Ruziye for US$44 684 and he allegedly never paid.
Kudzai Chiwara was allocated the fourth stand for US$42 623 and sold it to Elizabeth Makuwane for US$82 000 before he had paid for it. Solomon Muchazondida was allocated a stand for US$39 146 with Maureen Nyemba, a former councillor in Mbare, also benefiting from the scam.
The State alleges that none of the people allocated stands were on the council’s housing waiting list, the initial requirement for when council-owned stands are to be allocated.
Online Reporter