via Zanu PF official named in Caledonia land scam – DailyNews Live 15 March 2015 by Helen Kadirire
HARARE – A committee, set-up by Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo led by Percy Toriro, found that Caledonia Farm was illegally divided into 23 000 housing stands.
Toriro’s committee revealed that Caledonia, which is bigger than certain towns like Marondera and Bindura, has over 200 housing cooperatives.
Two district administrators (DAs) from Goromonzi and Mabvuku-Tafara and Zanu PF Harare provincial chairperson Robert Kahanana were fingered in the land scam.
Caledonia and Eastview development consortium chairman, Nelson Mandizvidza, is said to have pocketed about $3 million while Kahanana allegedly looted hundreds of thousands through sale of State land.
In his findings Toriro said, stands earmarked for schools were also illegally divided and turned into residential stands, with children having to attend school in Mabvuku, Tafara and Arcturus.
“There are also serious fears of a major humanitarian health disaster as there are no proper ablution facilities and no running water which leaves residents with no choice but rely on unprotected shallow wells which means there is a lot of cross contamination,” Toriro said.
He said the barons took advantage of their proximity to high ranking politicians to sell State land, thereby criminally prejudicing both the State and residents.
Toriro’s committee was set up to bring normalcy to Caledonia.
The committee also incorporates council officials.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe National Army will provide two members each, the chief executive officer of the Goromonzi Rural District Council, two officials from the local government ministry and an unidentified banker will be in the committee.
“I give this committee two weeks to put the administrative machinery in order and a further four weeks to do the rest of what is needed.
“Any official from government who committed an offense will be dealt with immediately. Those two DAs will have to be recalled. The town planners who were doing work nicodemously, selling land will be arrested. We also want the police to go after the land barons immediately,” Chombo said.
COMMENTS
The people must be informed about the outcome continously. The papers to should have a section where these culprits are shamed. Further they must not hold any responsible positions henceforth.
maybe they can also look at the plots that are begin sold in rayden drive borrowdale by people that do not own them,and when the owner gets his land back he will want the houses that have been built there moved off his land who will compensate the people that have been conned?