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not meet the set criterion.
It also emerged that the pricing of the flats was meant to exclude the intended beneficiaries — the vulnerable people and civil servants.
A Parliamentary portfolio Committee on Public Works noted that the requirement for applicants to pay US$10 000 for non civil servants and US$3 600 for civil servants meant that poor people, the majority of whom earn around US$200 would not benefit.
The committee, chaired by Gokwe Mapfungautsi legislator, Cde Lovemore Mpukuta (Zanu-PF), said this when it tabled the report in the House of Assembly on Thursday.
Some of the alleged abuse of the criterion was the allocation of houses to minors and to those who were not on the housing waiting list.
“The Ministry should revisit the whole flat allocation process to weed out the unintended beneficiaries and repossess the flats and reallocate them as per the set criteria and requirements by the Ministry,” said Cde Mpukuta.
“The Committee observed that all the other requirements were set aside as it was highlighted by most interviewees that US$10 000 was the only requirement for one to get the flat and this shows that the project was not targeting the poor and vulnerable groups.”
The committee also noted that civil servants who paid US$3 600 were still to be shown their houses while those who have paid US$10 000 were already given their keys.
The Committee noted that there were minors under the age of 15 who have acquired the flats through their parents.
The committee observed that there was no equal access to information as some Infrastructural Development Bank of Zimbabwe employees managing the project and the Ministry’s employees had inside information which the general public was not privy to.
Contributing to the debate, another committee member and Chitungwiza North MP, Mr Fidelis Mhashu concurred the project was too elitist and deviated from its thrust.
“It appears now that the project, instead of being pro-poor, tended to be pro-rich. As long as you have US$10 000, you will pay through the IDBZ and you will be given the keys straight away.”
Mberengwa South MP, Cde Ellina Shirichena bemoaned the abuse of the project.
“This programme was aimed at pro-poor civil servants. Surprisingly, the rich people with other houses ended up benefiting,” she said.
Online Reporter