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Blessings Chidakwa

Municipal Reporter
Government has repossessed a piece of State land in Chitungwiza that was formerly allocated to businessman and former councillor, Mr Frederick Mabamba, to pave way for the construction of the municipal headquarters.

A senior Government official this week said the Government would not be deterred by people who were fraudulently buying State land and would intensify efforts to spruce up in the dormitory town.

Chitungwiza Municipality is using a primary school as its main offices.

Speaking at a breaking ceremony for the construction of the civic centre, Harare Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti said all land under Chitungwiza Municipality’s jurisdiction belonged to the State.

He said land barons would not stop Chitungwiza from building a civic centre.

“The land belongs to the State. Chitungwiza is sitting 100 percent on State land. We will not leave any stone unturned and we have Vision 2030 ahead of us’’, said Mr Muguti.

He challenged Chitungwiza Municipality to commission various other development projects.

“I expect to see more ground-breaking ceremonies. Chitungwiza should not be pegging residential stands only on every piece of land. Think big.

“You should have your own university and state of the art shopping malls,’’ he said.

Concrete pillars had already been erected by land invaders at the site where Chitungwiza wants to construct its US$4 million civic centre, projected to be complete in three years. Measuring approximately 3,6 hectares, the land is located behind the Chitungwiza Town Centre.

Chitungwiza Mayor Councillor Lovemore Maiko said the idea of the construction of spacious offices was mooted over 30 years ago.

Mr Maiko said the municipality was operating without proper offices and had been using Zengeza Primary School as its head office.

“In 2016, we began gathering input on the needs of our staff and came up with structural designs that are already in place.

“We settled for a three-storey building which will cost us about US$4 million and shall house all departments’’, he said.

“The Civic Centre is considered a priority project which should be set in motion as a matter of urgency.”

Mayor Maiko said the building would be situated at a central location, ideal to the municipality’s four districts, namely St Mary’s, Zengeza, Seke North and Seke South.

Mr Mabamba said following the intervention of the State, he was willing to be relocated to another  site.

“We are prepared to move if we are to be allocated another piece of land as we have all the documents supporting that we are the rightful owners of the land,” he said.

Council is said to have been receiving monthly payments from Mr Mabamba for the same piece of land on which it wanted to build the civic centre.