A ZANU PF councillor (name withheld) and some council officials at the Gwanda municipality who are part of the Housing and Community Services Department, face arrest after they allegedly sold nine residential stands without following laid down council regulations, Southern Eye has learnt. Albert Ncube Own Correspondent
According to latest council minutes, the nine residential stands in Senondo Township, measuring between 375m² and 505m² were recently surveyed and were waiting to be sold when the said councillor, working in cahoots with some corrupt council officials, clandestinely allocated the stands to their colleagues.
Gwanda mayor Knowledge Ndlovu has warned stern measures would be taken against the corrupt officials.
In a memorandum addressed to town clerk Priscilla Nkala and copied to all councillors, Ndlovu confirms the troubled municipality has been hit by a land scandal.
“It has come to my attention that nine residential stands were allocated outside council regulations,” he wrote.
“The process of allocation of stands involves them going through various committees and finally the ordinary full council meeting for a resolution to be made.
“Furthermore the residential stands have to be advertised through a local newspaper before allocation. However these procedures were not followed.”
Impeccable sources said the councillor allocated one stand to himself and another to his wife, while a senior government official also benefited from the corrupt dealings.
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“This comes as a concern to the mayor’s office, as it is alleged that one councillor and some officials from the Housing and Community Services Department were involved in the selling of stands,” the memorandum reads.
“For the dignity and transparency of the organisation, all administrative procedures have to go through the town clerk.
“We would like to urge all members to adhere to this setup for the smooth running of the organisation.
“If anyone, be it councillor or council official, is found wanting, they will have to face the consequences.”
Ndlovu warned anyone who was found to have acted outside council regulations would have to face the full wrath of the law.
Surprisingly, Ward 9 councillor Thulani Moyo, chairperson of the Health and Housing Committee, professed ignorance on the scandal, saying he had not received the letter.
“I am not aware of the letter,” he said.
“All I know is that stands are being sold through proper procedures, you can speak to the person who authored the letter.”
The illegal selling of stands comes amid revelations by the town clerk that the cash-strapped municipality, which has been selling stands to write-off debts, is now running out of land.
During a full council meeting yesterday, Nkala said the municipality was no longer in a position to offer land after a full council meeting turned down a request for land to have a rehabilitation centre built in town.
