Gweru residents demand probe

stands.
The residents want Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo to immediately probe the council. The MDC-T-led council is accused of dishing out stands amongst themselves at discounted prices and then re-selling them at higher prices.
The residents claim councillors buy residential stands for US$500 in high-density areas and resell them for US$3 000 each. Gweru Mayor Tedious Chimombe, his deputy Taurai Demo and a councillor Rutsvara have been accused of being behind the buying and selling of the stands; an allegation they deny. Chiwundura legislator Cde Kizito Chivamba (Zanu-PF) – who covers Senga and Mkoba 4, 5, 14 and 19 – called for immediate Government intervention.
“When people are elected we expect them to stand for the people and what the councillors are doing is disturbing. They have actually formed business entities, become businessmen who enrich themselves at the expense of the masses.
“You can’t be happy to have more than six stands while the people you are serving are failing to secure accommodation.
“This is corruption at its highest level and if probed anyone found on the wrong side should face the full wrath of the law.”
He said council should be fighting to clear the housing backlog. A resident, Mr Benjamin Maravanyika, said: “We are appealing to the responsible minister to immediately investigate them before the situation gets out of hand. “Investigations will reveal that some of them have more than five stands while we are failing to get a single stand.
“What pains us most is that they then make huge profits from reselling the stands.”
Mayor Chimombe yesterday dismissed the allegations. He said every councillor had a residential stand and commercial stand as allowed by the law
“We received a circular from the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe and that is what we are following. This resolution is not from us . . . We are not the owners of the stands in question. This is mere speculation by the residents,” he said.
Documents from Gweru City Council indicate that last month the mayor, his deputy and the named councillor bought commercial stands meant for the general public at discounted prices.
Mayor Chimombe allegedly bought a stand in Gweru’s CBD for US$16 400 while Cllrs Rutsvara and Demo bought commercial stands in Mkoba and the CBD for US$27 000 each.
The stand the mayor bought had a market value of US$35 000 while the others were priced at US$60 000 each, it is alleged.
Further, the cash purchase price offered to the councillors required them to pay in full on or before signing the agreement of sales.
According to a letter from the chamber secretary, the three were, however, given 40 percent discounts and allowed to pay in installments.