Council distances self from MP’s promises

By The Southern Eye | Apr. 23, 2014

THE Kwekwe City Council has distanced itself from a housing scheme being run by Kwekwe Central MP Masango Matambanadzo in which he is promising to allocate stands and houses to homeless people.

BLESSED MHLANGA STAFF REPORTER

Matambanadzo started what he called an empowerment scheme aimed at pooling together over 5 000 members who would each pay $1 daily towards the scheme. The legislator said he was working with the local authority, which would allocate him stands where he would build four-roomed houses for his “housing” scheme.

“I will send you to China to buy stuff for resale and even talk to council so that we get stands to build houses for all the members in the association. We need at least 5 000 members who would pay a dollar every day towards this fund,” Matambanadzo said while launching his scheme last year.

However, mayor Matenda Madzoke has distanced the council from the land deal with Matambanadzo saying he was not aware of any commitment to provide stands to the legislator.

“We have not made any such deal with anyone and as a local authority when we parcel out stands, we use the housing list and not MPs,” he said.

Madzoke said all available land had already been allocated to housing co-operatives, private developers and individuals who purchased directly from council.

“If we need more land, we will have to apply to the Local Government ministry, but currently all land has been allocated,” he said.

Keep Reading

Flea market and fruit vendors form the majority of members of the co-operative launched by Matambanadzo late last year and have been paying a $1 every day to the MP’s wife who is the treasurer.

Matambanadzo said his project would be successful and would not be deterred by people out to humiliate him.

“I might be a Grade 2 dropout, but my brains are big and I am going to change the lives of the people in Kwekwe,” he said.