Murehwa council boss arrested

Investigations Editor

Murehwa Rural District Council chief executive officer Alois Gurajena has been arrested for unprocedurally subdividing an agricultural farm into urban residential stands and then allocating these to home seekers before the legal, planning and infrastructure stages were done.

Normally, when farming land is converted into residential stands, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Settlement should first officially hand it over to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, which will in turn authorise the local authority to subdivide it into housing stands. Gurajena (48) allegedly failed to follow the procedure and unilaterally converted Train Farm in Murewa into an urban settlement without the involvement of the two ministries.

ZACC arrested him yesterday and he is expected to appear in court today on charges of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.

In a statement, ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said: The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested the chief executive officer of Murewa Rural District Council, Alois Gurajena (48) for criminal abuse of duty after he unprocedurally subdivided a farm and allocated stands to home seekers, reads the statement.

Allegations against Gurajena are that in 2003, Train Farm was leased to Moses Sewera for agricultural purposes and has been farmed since then.

When the lease expired Mr Sewera was allowed to continue with his farming activities.

It is alleged that Gurajena recently subdivided the farm and allocated stands to home seekers. In doing this, Gurajena flouted laid down procedures which state that when a farm is to be converted from farming activities to urban development, the Ministry of Lands Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Settlement formally hands over the farm to Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

Local Government and Public Works will in turn, authorise the initiation of processes to convert it into urban development following laid down procedures. According to the Ministry of local Government and Public Works, the farm in question was not formally handed over to them. It also came out that the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has not handed over the farm to Murehwa RDC for urban development, hence Gurajena jumped the gun.