A shocking revelation has come to light: around 5,000 residential plots in Harare have been labeled as illegal. Most of these plots were given away in the lead-up to past elections, suggesting they may have been used to win votes.
The issue came up during a recent inquiry into the affairs of the Harare City Council, led by Justice Maphios Cheda. President Emmerson Mnangagwa set up this commission in May to look into the council’s financial activities and operations since 2017.
The commission discovered that land invasions have become a huge problem in many parts of the city. They found 5,066 illegal stands that the council wants to legalize, but only if the Ministry of Local Government approves the plans.
Commissioner Thabani Mpofu pointed out that some plots, like those in the HANA Pay Scheme in Budiriro, were suspiciously missing from the list sent for approval. This raised serious questions about the council’s actions and if they were properly doing their job.
Harare’s town clerk, Hosiah Chisango, who is currently in jail, testified before the commission. He hinted that these illegal land deals are nothing new and tend to spike around elections. According to him, this happened before both the 2018 and 2023 elections, with a noticeable increase in illegal land activities as the elections got closer.
“These plots came from different areas, often brought forward by local councilors,” Chisango explained. He mentioned that there was always a process where the council would decide which plots to recommend to the ministry for approval. However, many of these plots were never on any official list.
The commission also identified 349 cooperatives whose land claims have been made official, but there are still many questions about how these plots were handled and why they weren’t properly regulated from the start.
This investigation shines a light on how land is managed in Harare, and the findings could have big consequences for the city’s future development and trust in local governance.
Source: Newsday
