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Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni is leading a pack of councillors who are grabbing land in the capital in preparation for their departure after noticing that they may not be re-elected in the 2018 elections.
Recent full council meetings have seen most councillors requesting to be excused from the council chamber as their applications are being considered by the full council.
The Informal Sector committee chairperson, Councillor Wilton Janjazi last Thursday raised concern on how councillors were getting commercial and residential stands at the expense of ordinary members of the public.
“You worship, I am concerned with the way councillors are getting stands. The stands should be advertised so that members of the public can also benefit,” he said.
Most councillors however, rubbished the concerns with some alleging that the councillor did not have money to purchase his own stand hence he should keep quiet as all the processes were followed.
Council by-laws stipulate that industrial and commercial stands are leased to an individual who has to prove his ability to develop them first before being given the right to purchase.
The councillors are alleged to be removing anyone who wants to stand in their way in line with their leadership renewal at Town House with their latest victim being acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube.
Last year the councillors’ arm-twisted Mrs Ncube to come up with a policy authorising the allocation of commercial and industrial stands to themselves on a sale basis.
The Finance and Development Committee minutes state that Mayor Manyenyeni was allocated a residential stand by council, 5 303 square metres situated along Churchill Avenue in Newlands for $106 000 while other councillors got residential and commercial stands in and around the city.
According to the same minutes, council resolved to allocate a commercial stand in Budiriro to Councillor Loveness Gomba for $3 000 while Councillors Gilbert Hadebe and Charles Nyatsuro will lease, with an option to buy, commercial stands in Tynwald and Kuwadzana respectively.
The move was in stark contravention of council policy which prohibits the outright sale of industrial and commercial stands.
Council by-laws stipulate that industrial and commercial stands are leased to an individual who has to prove his ability to develop them first before being given the right to purchase.
However, Mr Manyenyeni denied the claims saying the control of stands was prescribed by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.
“The control of stands is prescribed by the ministry controlled by the mayor. She has never reported that she was under any pressure about stands issues. It can never be used against her.”
“Why do we always attract political party reference every time there is a crisis. We are the elected council. Full stop,” he said.
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