via Don’t demolish houses, councils told | The Herald August 18, 2015
Municipalities must not demolish houses built by homeseekers duped by land barons, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has said. In an interview on ZBC SFM yesterday, Minister Kasukuwere said the land barons must compensate their victims. He said councillors implicated in land scams must be investigated and punished.
“We have given instructions to all councils to stop the demolitions. The residents should be compensated by the land barons and we should make sure they are accountable for what they did,” he said.
Minister Kasukuwere said the Government “must not be made to follow after the land barons”.
“Government must lead and that is why we have come up with this ambitious programme to roll out houses,” he said.
The net is fast closing in on Harare City Council employees implicated in the scam.
Sources told The Herald yesterday that police were keen to interview the suspects.
The sources would not divulge the names for fear of jeopardising investigations.
“We are aware of some of these council officials and from the information that I got, they will soon be picked up for questioning,” said the source.
Last week 15 suspected land barons were arrested in Harare after pocketing thousands of dollars from desperate home- seekers.
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