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Senior Court Reporter 

FOUR officials in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works have appeared in court on allegations of recommending the allocation of residential stands to people who were not on the general waiting list.

They will know their fate today when a Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje makes a bail ruling.

Andrew Shawatu, Nyarai Priscilla Mudzinge, Leah Chimoga and Daisy Mtyambizi are being charged with criminal abuse of office.

Shawatu was the principal administration officer State lands, Mudzinge was director local authorities, Chimoga was acting director legal while Mtyambizi was deputy director spatial planning.

They were not asked to plead when they appeared before Mr Mambanje with prosecutor Mrs Netsai Mushayabasa opposing the granting of bail.

It is alleged that sometime between 2010 and 2011, Sally Mugabe Heights Housing Cooperative was offered 760 hectares of residential stands at Acom Farm through an offer letter dated January 7, 2005 by the Ministry of Local Government.

On July 15, 2005 the department of physical planning and in terms of section 43 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act approved a lay out plan for a Housing Scheme called Acom Estate.

The Ministry of Local Government went on to retain 10 percent for its own use and the allocation of commonage stands was the prerogative of the Minister of Local Government.

According to the State Land Management Part 2, the trio were required to use the waiting list and priority list for consideration of allocation and other exceptional circumstances to generate an allocation memorandum for approval by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government.

Investigations revealed that sometime between 2010 and April 2011 the quartet connived and wrote a memorandum to the Permanent Secretary recommending the allocation of residential stands in Acom disregarding the dictates of the State Land Management Manual PART 2.

They allegedly allocated stands to the people who were not on the general waiting list or priority list.

It is alleged that the Permanent Secretary acted upon the misrepresentation and approved stands to nearly 10 people who were not on the waiting list.