adminand the Harare North Housing Co-operative Union have, however, condemned the development. There are up to 2 500 home seekers in Hatcliffe who belong to various housing co-operatives under the Harare North Housing Cooperatives Union. There are three developers that own land in the area. At the weekend, Mr Charles Mpofu, who claims to be the chairman of the ZNLWVA threatened to halt the operations of developers in the area. He claimed that he was intervening in the interest of residents who were complaining of being ripped off by land developers.
Mr Mpofu convened a meeting at the Consortium Phase 2 site where he issued various threats, including death threats, to Alpha Developers owner Mr Jonathan Gapare.
He also encouraged stand owners not to pay their subscriptions to land developers.
A report has since been made to Borrowdale Police Station.
Mr Mpofu yesterday told the Herald that he had been approached by members of co-operatives to act on their behalf.
“They came to me and complained that while Government was giving land for free, land developers were ripping them off.
“They said it was the duty of Government to cater for the poor but they were being priced out of the stands which go up to as much as US$21 000,” he said.
He admitted that he had not raised the issue with the Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development or the Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development, which administer cooperatives.
However, the ZNLWVA Harare Province has since disowned Mr Mpofu saying he no longer represented the organisation.
The province’s secretary for information and publicity, Cde Hillary Maphosa, who is the chairman of the Greater Harare Housing Union, said Mr Mpofu was no longer the chair of the organisation as he ceased to hold the post in 2010.
The new chair is Cde Elifas Chitera who was elected in 2011.
Cde Maphosa said war veterans had no right to intervene in the business of cooperatives, unless invited to do so.
Even then, he said, they would have to stick to the law.
He said cooperatives in Harare North were registered in accordance with the law.
Cde Maphosa said it was not the duty of war veterans to bulldoze into cooperatives.
“If there are problems within they are looked into in terms of the Cooperatives Act. Anything outside that is unlawful,” he said.
The Harare North Housing Cooperative Union says it is disturbed by the continued bickering in Hatcliffe with some individuals and groups regularly coming to disturb the development.
The union comprises 36 cooperatives.
The union’s chair, Mr Misheck Mangwende, said as a union they were happy with the three developers, Divine Homes, Pilgrims Rest developers and Alpha Developers.
“The developers have ownership of the land and we are happy with the individual agreements they have made with cooperatives,” he said.
“We are totally disturbed by the developments. Everybody will be affected by this and we are calling on authorities, including the War Vets, to address the situation as a matter of urgency,” said Mr Mangwende.
Mr Gapare expressed dismay at the “illegal” actions of the purported war vets.
Online Reporter