Source: Parliament to investigate Chitown land barons – NewsDay Zimbabwe
BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA
PARLIAMENT will soon investigate local authorities and land barons that have been swindling desperate home seekers by collecting money from them, but are failing to issue them with the stands.This was raised last Thursday in the National Assembly as a matter of national interest by Rushinga MP Tendai Nyabani (Zanu PF) who urged parliament to play its oversight role over councils that are failing to allocate stands to the home seekers.
“It is the citizens of Zimbabwe’s right to have accommodation, our councils, especially Chitungwiza, are collecting money from citizens but cannot deliver stands.
“The waiting lists are there but we do not know whether these equate to the availability of land so that all people on the waiting list can acquire stands,” Nyabani said.
“Some citizens are pensioners and they are subscribing their hard earned cash to councils that are failing to allocate stands. As parliament, we should exercise our oversight function and see whether our councils are providing the required services to residents.”
Nyabani proposed that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government must investigate the issue.
Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda ordered the chairperson of the Local Government committee Miriam Chikukwa (Zanu PF) to investigate the matter.
In Chitungwiza, the late Zanu PF politician Frederick Mabamba parcelled out land worth over US$16 million belonging to council.
He was arrested, but he collapsed in a cell at Harare Remand Prison in February last year and died.
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