Municipal Reporter
Chitungwiza Municipality will fire workers fingered in the illegal allocation of stands in the town. This follows an audit initiated by Government which revealed that more than 14 000 residential stands allocated to home seekers in Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural District Council were illegal.

Of these 8 260 are in Chitungwiza, while 6 200 are in Seke communal lands under Manyame Rural District Council.
Some of the stands are on spaces reserved for clinics, churches, schools, cemeteries, recreational activities and roads, while others are under electricity pylons.

In Seke rural, some people were allocated stands on grazing lands, wetlands, and other lands not suitable for housing.
“The employees who were fingered by the report to have been active in the illegal activities have started receiving letters of dismissal,” said a council employee.

Another worker said those in the audit department were also being fired because they are being accused of not stopping the illegal transactions.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Deputy Minister Biggie Matiza said he had met with Chitungwiza municipality officials over the issue.

“We met officials from the council and we discussed several issues concerning the report it is up to them to do what is right,” he said.
Chitungwiza town clerk Mr George Makunde could not be reached for comment as he was said to be on leave.

Efforts to contact Chitungwiza municipality public relations manager Mr Zephania Mandirahwe were also fruitless. The audit team recommended the arrest and prosecution of land barons who are mainly housing co-operatives, councillors and village heads after it emerged that they looted and illegally sold 23 074 stands that did not belong to them, pocketing more than US$20 million.

United We Stand Multi-Purpose Co-operative, which is believed to be run by some councillors and other influential people in Chitungwiza, was singled out as the chief land baron both in Chitungwiza and Seke.

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