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which has been deducting money from their salaries after promising them residential stands.
A majority of the teachers who lost their hard earned cash to the dubious housing trust were from districts like Mberengwa and Gokwe North.
The housing trust is allegedly owned by Harare-based businessman, and musician, Energy Mutodi, and was operating under the name Zim Trust Housing Finance.
Zim Trust Housing Finance is said to have been going around schools, mostly in the remote parts of the Midlands province, persuading teachers to join the housing scheme.
According to documents Chronicle is in possession of, the teachers would be made to complete forms and pay a $250 joining fee.
They would then pay an additional $100 per month as instalments and part-payment towards the servicing of their stands.
A further $20 would also be deducted from the teachers’ salaries, leaving the civil servants struggling to make ends meet.
Some of the duped teachers said they had been contributing between $100 and $250 monthly for the past five years, but were yet to be allocated their residential stands.
The affected members last week allegedly came together and stormed the Zim Trust Housing Finance offices at the Tel-One Building in Gweru seeking answers over the project.
“This was when the manager and younger brother to Energy Mutodi, Mr Elasto Mutodi and his consultant a Mr Sibanda referred us to another Gweru housing co-operation, Mahlaba Housing Programme. They told us that we were allocated stands under the Mahlaba Housing programme,” said one of the teachers who declined to be named.
Another teacher said members only learnt later on that the whole process was a farce when they were told at Mahlaba Housing Programme that they were not allocated any stands because they were still negotiating a deal with the housing trust.
Chronicle is in possession of pay slips, several receipts and other documents that reveal how much some teachers paid as monthly subscriptions to Zim Trust Housing Finance.
The breakdown of the figures on some of the receipts includes $250 joining fee, $150 stand allocation fee and $100 monthly subscriptions.
This paper is also in possession of a long list of names of people who were paying monthly subscriptions to the Zim Trust Housing Finance.
Zim Trust consultant, a Mr Sibanda confirmed the existence of the trust yesterday.
Mr Sibanda, however, refused to comment on the allegations levelled against them by the civil servants and referred this reporter to Mr Elasto Mutodi.
Repeated efforts to get in touch with Mr Mutodi were fruitless as his mobile phone was on voicemail.
Mahlaba Housing Programme director Mrs Smelly Dube confirmed having been approached by a group of members of the Zim Trust Housing Finance who wanted to be allocated stands.
She also acknowledged having been approached by Zim Trust Housing Finance to accommodate some of their clients.
“When we were approached by Zim Trust Housing Finance, the understanding was that all their clients were paid up beneficiaries and that we would accommodate and allocate them stands at our Woodlands Park Phase Two on condition that Zim Trust Housing Finance deposited the beneficiaries’ funds into our housing programme account but this was not done,” she said.
Mrs Dube said the Zim Trust Housing Finance only submitted a number of names to them but did not deposit the clients’ money into their accounts.
“We had also suggested that the clients would then stop paying subscriptions to Zim Trust Housing Finance.
“The trust, however, continued to deduct and collect money from the names of the people they had submitted to us and we feel their aim was to fleece the innocent civil servants.
“Zim Trust Housing Finance should deal with their mess and stop trying to drag our name into the mud for nothing. We are the biggest property developers in the Midlands Province and we conduct our operations in a transparent manner,” she said.
Online Reporter