adminTHE Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing is up in arms with greedy politicians allocated farms for farming purposes within urban councils master plans, but are now refusing to surrender them for speculative reasons.
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Engineer George Mlilo, told delegates at local authorities’ annual retreat held in Nyanga recently that some greedy politicians were employing dirty tactics to frustrate local authorities from taking over farms that fall within their master plans for urban development.
Eng Mlilo said this had left some local authorities without land for urban expansion, yet Government policy was clear that whoever took gazetted State land on pretence of farming should give it back when the need for urban expansion arises.
“We are aware of people who took gazetted land on the pretence of farming and are taking advantage of their political muscles to bully local authorities and defy their orders. They must surrender those farms for urban development,” said Eng Mlilo.
Eng Mlilo’s comments follow bitter complaints by Rusape Town Council chairman Alderman Amon Chawasarira who accused Zanu-PF politician Cde Basil Nyabadza and MDC-T official Mr Norman Sachikonye of frustrating the take-over bids of Rocking Stone and Zimati Kopje farms that were gazetted in 2001 and incorporated into his council’s master plan in 2005.
The friction between the local authority and Cde Nyabadza reached the tipping point when it allegedly emerged that the ground-nut farmer-turned politician had already mortgaged the Remainder of Rocking Stone Farm, which measures 891 hectares to CBZ Bank for $3,4 million.
On the other hand, Mr Sachikonye is insisting on turning the 1 115 hectare land into a plush suburb charging $24 000 per plot.
Cde Chawasarira ripped into Cde Nyabadza, describing his behaviour as morally repulsive as he personally gained financially at the expense of the residents of Rusape.
Cde Chawasarira argued that Cde Nyabadza was portraying himself as politically influential, something which should be a bigger cause for concern for Zanu-PF.
Cde Nyabadza and Mr Sachikonye are relatives and both have been underutilising their adjacent farms — and surprisingly in 2013 and 2010 — both came out with documents reinstating them as the owners of the gazetted farms and simultaneously proposing to sub-divide them into residential plots.
“We were surprised by Messrs Nyabadza and Sachikonye’s position. There was no way they could repossess gazetted land. Government policy is clear that land allocated under the land reform programme should not be sold. Our query is why Mr Nyabadza was allowed to sell that property. Can you allow someone to go scot-free after committing such a transgression because he belongs to Zanu-PF? If something is not done, such behaviour needlessly brings politics and the name of Zanu-PF into disrepute,” said Ald Chawasarira.
“We have been to the Ministry of Lands seeking redress. Curiously, nobody else in the ministry is voicing any concerns publicly about the issue leaving RTC wondering if it follows that those in Zanu-PF should do such shocking things with impunity to satisfy their ego and greediness. Rusape does not have land to develop new stands. Of late we have been trying hard to find infills which is not proper for development,” said Ald Chawasarira.
Minutes of the Makoni District Land Committee show that Cde Nyabadza and Mr Sachikonye were temporarily allocated the flanking farms for agricultural purposes in 2003.
This was after the local authority then led by the late national hero, Dr Stanley Urayayi Sakupwanya, had expressed an interest for urban expansion in the two farms.
The two now claim to have purchased the properties through a consortium which gave Cde Nyabadza the green-light 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 Bank, 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.
“We are attending to the transfer of the above property and request your rates clearance certificate to enable us to prepare our transfer documents. We advise as follows:
“The seller is recorded as E.C.R. Mordit (Pvt) Limited of 16982, Sande Crescent, Avondale, Harare. The purchaser is recorded as CBZ Limited of 60 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Harare. The property description is the Remainder of Rockingstone, held under deed of transfer 6653/99 dated 30th day of June, 1999 measuring 891, 3761 hectares,” reads part of the letter from the lawyers.
Cde Chawasarira’s council refused to co-operate, citing dispute in the ownership of the farm, but transfer of the property to the bank was granted on January 14, 2014 under deed of transfer Number 45/2014.
Online Reporter