Zimpapers Logo

Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
HARARE City Councils’ partner in Sunshine Developments (Private) Limited, Augur Investments, denies ever being involved in dodgy and corrupt deals saying if council has problems within, it should clean its house without roping in the company.

The company was responding to councils’ decision to refer all deals it signed with Augur Investments to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission over the alleged approval of development plans of some of the company’s projects prior to compliance with other requisite processes.

The finance manager Mr Simbarashe Kadye said all Augur Investments dealings with City of Harare had been done above board.

“Augur investments have nothing to hide and investigations previously done have found nothing untoward or any wrongdoing on our part.  Our concern is that institutions like City of Harare should portray messages that provide comfort and confidence to investors at large rather than negative, disruptive and false allegations that hamper and derail investments for Zimbabwe which is now supposed to be Open for Business!”

Mr Mandla Ndebele, the Project Manager confirmed that their projects in Harare were always premised on following due process; which include having development permits approved by the City of Harare in accordance with Council By-Laws. He went on to say that it was unfortunate that the council’s position doesn’t give consideration to the facts surrounding their projects.

In a statement Augur Investments said the agreements have survived generations of technocrats and councillors, many of whom have been suspended on allegations of corruption and some even dismissed.

It said a recent article in The Herald prompted by the new councillors’ resolution was misleading as Augur had repeatedly proven the allegations false.

Mike Van Blerk the MD of West Property said “The new generation of councillors who raised this motion are again regurgitating false information.  The question must be asked what is their motivation?  The City of Harare seems incapable of institutional memory.   The new Council is being fed reports by City of Harare technocrats instead of researching historical evidence which they should have on file.”

The company said the reports being presented by the city technocrats were not factual and were misleading and it was not the first time that such reports had arisen.

Augur said the false allegations raised eight years ago resulted in Augur being engaged by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on January 21, 2010.

The company said it provided ZACC with a full report on its land and dealings with the City of Harare including their officials.

“Thereafter, councillors created a Special Investigations Committee and on the 4th May 2010 through its lawyers Coghlan, Welsh and Guest, Augur provided clarity, and set out the entire land acquisition and contracts with the city as well as demanded a retraction from such false allegations.”

“Augur Investments and its subsidiaries have and continue to comply with all laws and regulations of Zimbabwe, as it relates to all its investments in Zimbabwe. We are an international business based on sound business ethics,” said the company.

Augur said it believed in values of transparency, accountability, zero tolerance to corruption, respect for the rule of law and investment ease of doing business.

The company added, “We respect councillors fiduciary responsibility and we honour them to do things properly and fulfil their role to their constituents.  We welcome openness and accountability in all ways.  However, we also know that our competition always try to derail and mislead the nation but we believe in fair business practice.”