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Philip Chiyangwa

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
Chegutu Municipality sold land to Dr Philip Chiyangwa’s Gabroc Enterprises in 2001 which went on to sell the property to the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) two years later, documents show.

The contentious 526-hectare piece of land at Hintonville Extension is at the centre of an ownership wrangle, with the municipality and NSSA claiming rights to the land. Things came to a head recently when the findings of an audit by Auditor-General Mrs Mildred Chiri showed that the land had been written off by NSSA as it could not be located.

Chegutu Municipality maintained that there was no proof either supporting Gabroc’s purchase of the land or NSSA’s subsequent right to ownership.

Documents in The Herald’s possession show that a special council meeting held on September 7, 2001 approved Gabroc’s application for land. At the time council said it had run out of land for high-density residential development, but suggested that it could be acquired at a nearby farm.

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“Such land can be acquired at a nearby farm. For the low-density area development, the land is available and a formal Agreement of Sale is in the process of being drafted,” reads part of a letter dated September 10, 2001.

Gabroc Enterprises paid ZW$1 052 000 cash on October 29, 2001 and Dr Chiyangwa made a subsequent payment of ZW$9 468 000 for Hintonville Extension on February 20, 2003.

A letter referenced “Payment for Hintonville, measuring 526 hectares full purchase price confirmation” on the same day acknowledged payment of the full price.

“We refer to our Agreement of Sale dated 29th October 2001 and our subsequent correspondence and write to confirm that your full purchase price has been paid. In the circumstance we are now processing transfer to yourself. We thank you for choosing Chegutu as an investment destination,” reads the letter.

A subsequent letter signed by then Acting Chegutu Town Clerk Mr C. Shumba showed that council had no objections to cession of right to a nominee company or institution.

“I refer to your meeting in Chegutu with me on 27 January, 2003 and your request for cession of rights to a nominee company or institution,” reads part of the letter dated January 30, 2003. “I would like to advise that council has no objection to that provided our purchase price is paid in full as per the initial council agreement.”

Property evaluator CB Richard Ellis consultants put the open market value at ZW$650 million in its correspondence to the NSSA board of directors.

“Subsequent to your instructions, we have valued the above-mentioned property from the plans, layout reports and information supplied by the owner,” reads the report.

“It is our opinion that on 20 November 2002; the open market value of the proposed subdivision of Hintonville Farm in Chegutu assuming planning permission has been approved was ZW$650 000 000 (six hundred and fifty million Zimbabwe dollars).”

Meanwhile, Dr Chiyangwa has demanded defamation damages of $2,5 million from NewsDay and journalist Paidamoyo Muzulu over an article related to the land deal.

In a letter of demand dated July 17, 2017, Dr Chiyangwa, through his lawyer Itayi Ndudzo of Clairwood Chambers, said Muzulu defamed him in the article titled “Chiyangwa sold land he didn’t own”.

“Our client’s position is that the title and the entire contents of your article were patently defamatory and injurious to the name and standing of our client,” reads the letter.

“The article created an impression to reasonable readers that our client wrongfully and unlawfully sold land exclusively belonging to Chegutu Municipality to the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).”

The lawyers further said the article presented Dr Chiyangwa as an unscrupulous and dishonest person whose conduct in the alleged transaction was outrightly criminal . Dr Chiyangwa disputes the correctness of the article, saying he had signed agreements of sale.

He said he holds senior positions as president of both the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), regional body Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) and vice president of the Confederation of African Football’s competitions committee.

Dr Chiyangwa said football governing body FIFA’s Ethics Committee was considering his integrity.