Housing cooperative leaders fight over land use conversion

Prosper Dembedza Herald Correspondent

Residents of Nehanda Housing Cooperative in Dzivarasekwa Extension, Harare, are appealing for Government intervention to stop their former leaders from turning land reserved for commercial, industrial and institutional purposes into residential stands.

The residents are pointing fingers at Mr Andrew Marauka, who is their former chairman, accusing him of selling land reserved for schools, clinics and a police station, and pocketing large sums of money from the deals.

One of the residents, Mr Banabas Sachikunda, said it was sad that the place meant for a police station according to the site map was sold by Mr Marauka to desperate land seekers.

“Our children are learning in schools far away from home because we don’t have a school here,” he said. “The land, which was reserved for the school by the Local Government Ministry is now a residential area after it was sold by Marauka and his team,” he said.

Mr Sachikunda said Mr Marauka was selling the land under the guise that he would regularise the transfer of land use with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

Another resident, a woman who could not reveal her name in fear of being victimised, accused Mr Marauka of issuing land reserved for a police station to his son.

“We are now afraid that all the recreational places will be turned into residential stands,” she said. “Where will we get a clinic or a school if these people continue selling the land like this?”

In an interview, chairman of the cooperative Mr Simbarashe Moyo said he was in possession of a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works which instructed that the said land was not for sell.

“It is sad indeed that Marauka and his accomplices are in a selling spree of land reserved for recreational purposes,” he said. “We have since reported the matter to the police and PACU and investigations are in progress.”

When this publication visited the scene on Saturday last week, some builders were busy constructing houses on the alleged open spaces and land reserved for schools and clinics.

Responding to the allegations being levelled against him, Mr Marauka said he was still the leader of the cooperative.

“If Simba Moyo is referring to himself as the leader of the cooperative, why are you bothering me?” he said.

 

“He (Moyo) has to answer his on his own, and why refer the issue to The Herald. Instead, he should address the matter as a leader than to tarnish others on a matter he has the capacity to solve.”

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