Chombo benefitting from demolitions in Chitungwiza

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo is benefitting personally from the current demolitions of illegal structures across the country, the legislator for Zengeza East Alexio Musundire said this week.

He listed some of Chombo’s companies that benefitted as Harvestnet Investment, Waywick Investment, Waycorn Investment, Tonewick Investment, Nedbourne Investment.

Chombo was exposed as one of the richest property holders in the country when his former wife Marian filed for divorce.

Musundire said Chombo micro-manages local authorities and has a desire to protect his personal fortune in Chitungwiza and elsewhere.

“We also know how his companies benefited in most of the local authorities. You can talk of Harvestnet Investment, Waywick Investment, Waycorn Investment, Tonewick Investment, Nedbourne Investment, all these companies benefited from the corrupt activities in local authorities,” Musundire said when he moved a motion in Parliament on illegal structures.

He listed Chombo’s associates who had benefitted including current legislator Christopher Chigumira.

Here is the motion:

PROLIFERATION OF ILLEGAL STRUCTURES

MR. MUSUNDIRE: I move the motion standing in my name, that this House;

• CONCERNED by the proliferation of illegal structures put up by the homeless at a time the local authorities of Harare, Chitungwiza and other local authorities elsewhere in the country are dismantling such structures which are the only means of accommodation available to these people without providing alternative accommodation.
• DISMAYED by the reluctance of the law enforcement agencies to apprehend the illegal land developers and unregistered co-operatives that are swindling and shortchanging desperate home seekers of their hard earned cash.

NOW, THEREFORE: Calls upon the Government to take;

• Remedial measures by putting in place programmes that are sustainable and settlement plans that are pro-poor.
• Action against these illegal land developers and unregistered cooperatives.

MR. MARIDADI: I second.

MR. MUSUNDIRE: Mr. Speaker Sir, in 1980, in Chitungwiza, we used to have what we call Chirambahuyo. Thirty years after independence, we also have Chirambahuyo. Is it that history repeats itself or it is a matter of Government failure to address issues that affect the people? Last month, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Dr. Ignatious Chombo, announced that he will be demolishing all the illegal structures in Zimbabwe, starting with Chitungwiza and Seke Rural.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the word demolition has a deeper meaning to Zimbabweans. Demolition is a word that provokes panic in our people, especially after the Murambatsvina of 2005. Several persons whose houses were demolished died of heart attacks arising from the shock. The campaign started in 2005, and according to the United Nations estimates, about 700 000 people were affected by Operation Murambatsvina. The problem that we have currently rests with the Minister, as well as the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.

The minister micro-manages local authorities and has a desire to protect his personal fortune in Chitungwiza and elsewhere. We also know how his companies benefited in most of the local authorities. You can talk of Harvestnet Investment, Waywick Investment, Waycorn Investment, Tonewick Investment, Nedbourne Investment, all these companies benefited from the corrupt activities in local authorities.

The minister had also appointed his former election manager to run Chitungwiza and he is now in jail. His name is Godfrey Tanyanyiwa. It is clear that the evils of Chitungwiza Council, right now rest with Tanyanyiwa and his less meritocratic management of that time.

There is also another cooperative known as ‘United, we stand.’ The chairperson of this cooperative is a former grade 2 teacher at Chinembiri Primary School. He is now well schooled with a doctorate in medieval History and structures. There is no way in Chitungwiza you can talk of illegal land allocation without mentioning the name Mabamba. They call him ‘Mapani’. Stands are being sold like tomatoes at the gate of Chitungwiza Council. Even police officers are purchasing those stands. Mr. Speaker Sir, I am not saying the police officers are corrupt but I am simply saying, the police officers are also buying the stands that are illegally being sold.

It is our wish, as Chitungwiza residents, that those people, who are involved in illegal land dealings be arrested. They are not getting arrested, why? You would find that the previous plan of Chitungwiza had 14 primary schools. Those 14 primary schools had been converted to 1423 housing units of which 10 schools were taken by Mabamba. Churches and crèche sites – when you read Mathew 24, you will hear that very soon, the world will come to an end – in Chitungwiza, there are people who are busy taking land that has been reserved for churches. So far the land that was reserved for churches was converted to 1 124 stands and 94 stands were created on existing church land in Unit J. If you want, you can check. No change of land-use was done as required by Section 23 (3) of the Regional Town and Country Planning Act. This was done by Dr. Mabamba, Makuchete and Jacob Rukweza. These are all former councillors.

In Unit P, about 300 stands were created by Mabamba on his own and not by council. No change of use was done as required by the relevant section of Regional Town and Country Planning Act. There was a numbering duplication; that is, all the numbers belonged to another area.

It is like a wrestling act where you have one doink and suddenly another doink appears. So, in Chitungwiza, you cannot really locate the exact place when you want to find somebody. The numbers have been duplicated and it has become very difficult. On the cemetery, I have a friend of mine who is at number 1346; his next door is a grave of a person who died in 1996. That shows the extent of illegal land allocation in Chitungwiza. We had our sports club on stand number 11294 which was taken by a former councilor. All these former councillors are ZANU PF councillors. This sports club was given as exit package to Councillor Karigwindi and he subdivided it into housing units.

The person who approved it is somebody from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. We cannot deny it because the evidence is there.

We have two stadiums in Chitungwiza that were set aside. One of these stadiums was stand number 15394 in Zengeza 4. It was allocated to Lazarous Mhurushomana who is a former ZIFA official. He managed to convert this stadium into 239 stands. We have a public toilet in Unit M, which was sold by another councillor who is a ZANU PF councilor. In Unit L, 100 stands were given to a cooperative known as Zanoremba by the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.

The Chairperson of Zanoremba is one of our hon. members here. So far, there are 5 000 units under Zanoremba. The person who is collecting revenue from these housing units is our own Hon. Member; Christopher Chigumba.

Chitungwiza as a council is not getting any cent. I am not saying that Dr. Chombo should demolish these housing units. I am aware of Section 28 of the Constitution which gives a right to shelter. I am also aware of the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory, which binds State parties guarantee a right to shelter. I am also aware of the United Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dating back to 1948, which guarantees a right to shelter. I am aware of the regional practice where South Africa and Namibia, both countries that won independence after us guarantee a right to shelter.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order.

MR. CHINOTIMBA: Mr. Speaker Sir, the hon. member seems to be totally lost, he is diverting from his motion. Can he stick to the motion that he moved? Thank you. –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, Order! I think Hon. Musundire you have overstretched your preface to the motion. I think you need to indicate the remedial measures to be put in place and the action against illegal land developers. That is what your motion is calling upon. Would you address the motion accordingly? The point of order…

MR. MUSUNDIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I thought I was giving a background of what is happening.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order! I think the Chair has been very gracious with you. If you are going to argue with the Chair, I shall stop you completely from moving your motion. Can you kindly address the motion?

MR. MUSUNDIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am now concentrating on the reasons why I think the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing should not demolish the illegal structures as of now.

I am saying the regional practice where South Africa and Namibia, both countries that were independent after us, guarantee a right to shelter. Our culture which provides that, unlike elsewhere, a stranger can expect to be fed and accommodated for no reward which goes against the idea of destroying people’s homes and leaving them without, the International Covenant on Social and Economic Rights, which again guarantees a right to shelter. There is a perception of malice which emanates from the timing of this thing after elections. The ball is now in the gate and people want to destroy homes while respect for planning laws is important. Why?

However, a compassionate Government would not evict people in the rainy season when the effects of weather are most prone to affect them. Internationally, evictions are not used for political purposes and how far our country fell on the democracy index after Murambatsvina. If we demolish these houses without giving alternative accommodation, our democracy index will definitely fall. I am also of the view that the police should arrest those people who are involved in this illegal selling of State and council land. Why are we keeping these people? It is not that we do not know them. We know them but we are reserving them for political reasons and elections.

We are quite aware of the responsibility of our Government. I know you have your manifesto. It is high time that you deal with this matter while respecting the rights of those people. Remember, most of those people are innocent third parties. It is actually some of the politicians who benefited out of the selling of these stands.

I thank you.

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