adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
LOCAL Government Minister, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, has ordered a thorough investigation to establish how a consortium of three land barons in Rusape was granted title deeds and authority to convert at least 2000 hectares of agricultural land into high-cost residential units worth millions of dollar. The consortium comprising Messrs Basil Nyabadza, Norman Sachikonye and Kenneth Charles Ziehl has been at loggerheads with Rusape Town Council since 2013 over the ownership of Rocking Stone Farm (891ha) and Zimati Kop (1115ha). Mr Nyabadza allegedly mortgaged Rocking Stone Farm to CBZ Bank for “$3, 5 million” while Mr Sachikonye, has subdivided the farm for residential purposes.
Cde Kasukuwere said his ministry would expose how the consortium ended up with title deeds to the properties. He said if the farms were gazetted, then the land belongs to the State. Messrs Sachikonye and Nyabadza claim to have bought the farms from Messrs Kenneth Charles Ziehl and E.C.R. Mordit in 1999.
However, RTC disputes the claims arguing that the two were temporarily allocated the adjacent farms for agricultural purposes in 2003. Cde Kasukuwere said it was morally repulsive for land barons to portray themselves as politically influential and gain financially at the expense of the local authority and residents. He said his ministry was also seized with similar cases in Harare and Ruwa.
“We have cases in Rusape, Harare and Ruwa where individuals who were allocated farms during the land reform programme suddenly wake up with title deeds to State land. Where and how did they get those title deeds? This is what we are going to investigate. That is unacceptable,” said Cde Kasukuwere.
“You cannot have a situation where land barons are richer than local authorities and own double the current size of some towns. How can individual land barons be richer than local authorities? All land in Zimbabwe belongs to the State, and we are aware of the obligation to pay compensation. The ministry smells corrupt connivance between land barons and officials from the Surveyor General. We have to get to the bottom of these matters and establish how ownership of these farms was changed from Government to individuals,” said the minister.
It is understood that Mr Sachikonye through his Diagonal Investments (Pvt) Ltd has subdivided Zimati Kop into an affluent Ridgemont Park, which will be larger than the current size of Rusape with about 4 700 stands, measuring 6, 25 acres so far having been pegged, on the strength of title deeds obtained in 2010. Each stands costs $24 000, spread over 36 months, which the residents argue was beyond their reach.
RTC chairman, Cde Amon Chawasarira said: “We have been to every political and Government office seeking redress and curiously, nobody in Zanu-PF voiced any concerns publicly about it. This left us wondering that those in Zanu-PF can do such shocking things with impunity to satisfy their greediness. We are glad Cde Kasukuwere is using a different approach and is acting on the matter to avoid a crisis whose victims are the poor residents of Rusape,” said Cde Chawasarira.
The two now claim to have purchased the properties and the consortium gave Cde Nyabadza the greenlight to proceed with the farm’s subdivision on September 7, 2013. This was after securing a certificate of no present interest on July 9, 2013.
CBZ, through its lawyers, Mawere and Sibanda Legal Practitioners, on September 18, 2014 wrote to RTC seeking assistance in the transfer of registration of the Remainder of Rocking Stone Farm from E.C.R Mordit Pvt Ltd.
The transfer of the property to bank was granted on January 14, 2014 under deed of transfer Number 45/2014. Zimati Kop initially belonged to the late Ms Elizabeth Helena Marshal, whose estate was transferred to Mr Kenneth Charles Ziehl on April 29, 1999. Mr Sachikonye allegedly acquired the farm from Mr Ziehl for Z$200 million in 1999 and claims to have been given title deeds and supporting documents from the ministries of Lands and Local Government to carry out proposed developments.
He got a certificate of no present interest on June 1, 2010. The title deeds of the farm were issued on August 5, 2010.
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