4 local govt officials remanded in custody to today

Four top officials in the Local Government ministry were yesterday remanded in custody to today for bail hearing after they fraudulently dispossessed a housing co-operative of land and allocated it to people who were not on the Harare housing waiting list.

Andrew Rhory Shawatu, Nyarai Priscilla Mudzinge, Leah Chigoma and Daisy Mtyambizi appeared before Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje to answer to criminal abuse of office charges.

Shawatu was the principal administration officer for State lands, Mudzinge (director for local authorities), Chimoga (acting director for legal affairs) while Mtyambizi was the deputy director for spatial planning.

They allegedly attempted to convert land which was set aside as residential stands for Sally Mugabe Heights Housing Co-operative.

It is alleged that the co-operative was offered 760 hectares of land for residential stands at Acom Farm through an offer letter dated January 7, 2005, by the Local Government
ministry.

This is a signal of the non-transparency and corruption by government officials in the allocation of land to the detriment of desperate home-seekers.