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Midlands Bureau
Justice Tendai Uchena, who is leading a commission of inquiry into the sale and acquisition of state land in the Midlands province, has said the commission is not in the province to prosecute or convict land developers or other individuals involved in State land acquisitions.

Justice Uchena’s comments came amid bickering and glaring fights among the land developers and the local authorities during site visits by the commission in Gweru.

Vungu Rural District Council and Gweru City Council have openly clashed before the commission over the ownership of land that was acquired for urban expansion, with Vungu accusing Gweru City Council of collecting revenue from new suburbs before finalising negotiations and signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the two local authorities.

Justice Uchena said the commission’s duty was not to issue verdicts or prosecute, but to gather information on how State land was acquired before handing over the submissions and recommendations to the Executive.

“We are not here to prosecute or send any one to jail,” he said. “We are here on a fact finding mission. We urge all stakeholders with information to bring it when we sit for the hearing so that we compile all the necessary information before we come up with recommendations which we will hand over to Executive.”

The commission has since toured some of the acquired State land around Gweru, Zvishavane and Mvuma, gathering views from authorities and residents. In Gweru, the commission toured Hetfordshire phases 1 and 2, as well as Woodlands phases 1 and 2.

Woodlands phase 1 and Hetfordshire phase 1 are now fully fledged suburbs, but were formerly under Vungu Rural District Council before being acquired by the State and later serviced by Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing which partnered a private developing concern, River Valley Properties. In her submissions to the commission, River Valley chief executive Ms Smelley Dube said they had since completed the two projects in terms of water and sewer reticulation and both projects were handed over to Government and the City of Gweru.

She said the City of Gweru was now collecting revenue from residents in woodlands and Hertfiordshire.
The local authority, she said, was also approving plans for those still intending to construct houses in the two areas.

“We have been working with the City of Gweru in attending to any concerns on sewer and roads, but as River Valley we have since handed over all the projects to the city council,” said Mrs Dube.

She said the Woodlands park project was spearheaded by Government under the land reform programme and was fast tracked to help low income earners, especially the civil servants, who were affected by Murambatsvina clean-up operation some years ago.
The commission noted with concern lack of clinics and other social amenities in new suburbs with over five thousands households.
“We want to know the number of schools, clinics and other social amenities structure in woodlands and who benefited,” said Mr Stephen Chakaipa, who is one of the commissioners.
Gweru city engineer, Engineer Robson Manatsa, said Gweru city council and Vungu RDC were still in negotiations to finalise the incorporation to the new suburbs into Gweru city.