Robert Mugabe set Harare land on sale to Chinese

Harare – Robert Mugabe’s Minister of local Government and Urban Development, Ignatius Chombo ordered the city of Harare to sell vast tracts of council land and properties to Chinese and other foreign nationals in contravention of municipal by-laws.

Several Chinese and other foreign nationals were illegally sold council residential and commercial land in prime areas such as Westgate, Bluffhill, Borrowdale and Mt Pleasant

Sources at Harare’s Town House have reported of several Chinese and other foreign nationals were illegally sold council residential and commercial land in prime areas such as Westgate, Bluffhill, Borrowdale and Mt Pleasant for close to nothing.

Under municipal by-laws, council residential land can only be sold to Zimbabwean citizens aged 18 years and above. Prospective beneficiaries should also be on the housing waiting list for at least several years.

“Council only discovered that foreign nationals have been illegally sold land after complains by several local people who had earlier been short- listed to buy the same land. Preliminary investigations show that the irregular transfer of the land was done after a directive by the minister,” said a senior official at Town House.

He said it was irregular for Council to provide cheap land to foreign nationals yet over half a million people in the City have been on the housing waiting list for over a decade now.

“Under the law, Council residential land is reserved for Zimbabwean citizens only because it is sold at concessionary rates. Foreign nationals are however allowed to buy private land because as investors they are supposed to have the financial resources to do that,” said the Harare Official.

A Harare Councillor confirmed that City Fathers have received reports of foreign nationals who were illegally sold council land, saying the matter would soon come under investigation.

Minister Chombo and controversial businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, who are both related to President Mugabe, were recently on the news after a Council special investigation exposed that they corruptly acquired vast tracts of Harare land for next to nothing.

The police have however not arrested the two Zanu PF officials despite overwhelming evidence of fraud and corruption. Senior Zanu PF officials enjoy the protection of law enforcement agents and commit corruption and other crimes with impunity.

On the other land Movement for Democratic Change officials are regularly arrested on trumped-up charges which are always thrown out by the courts.