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Harare rescinds land sale agreements
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
July 07, 2005

http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=45048&pubdate=2005-07-08

HARARE City Council has rescinded all land sale agreements made between 1998 and this year and is now reselling the land at market rates to the same buyers, where necessary.

The prices charged in many of the agreements were a small fraction of pertaining market rates and usually well below the then cost of servicing the land.

The price reviews follow the cancellation and invalidation of various sale agreements entered from 1998 with churches, individuals and housing co-operatives.

Town clerk Mr Nomutsa Chideya yesterday confirmed the new development, but would not be drawn into commenting much about the issue.

"Some of the stands were not developed, but some already had buildings erected on them," he said, without elaborating further.

One such example is a piece of land sold for $189 000 in 1998 which has since been resold at $98,8 million.

"That the previous decision of council recorded under item 26 of the finance committee minutes dated 10 November 1998 to sell Stand 11331 Budiriro to Seventh Day Adventist Church at a price of $189 000 be and hereby rescinded.

"That pursuant to recommendation (1) above and subject to the provisions of Section 152 of the Urban Councils Act, Stand 11331 Budiriro be sold to the Seventh Day Adventist Church at the revised purchase price of $98,8 million," reads part of the latest council minutes stating the rescission.

St Steven’s Anglican Church in Sunningdale entered into an agreement with council in 2003 to buy a stand for $12,6 million, but the price was last month adjusted to $101,1 million.

In 1998, council entered into an agreement with Dairibord Zimbabwe Housing Co-operative to sell housing stands at $14 a square metre, a price which has now been changed to $2 000 a square metre.

Mr M. K. Zambuko in 1998 bought a stand in Glen Norah for $120 000, but the price has now been revised to $54 million "subject to the purchaser meeting all the costs of providing water and sewerage reticulation".

Council has also sold a number of housing stands in Mufakose at $40 000 a square metre with prices of the stands ranging between $15,8 million and $17,6 million.

The Harare Institute of Technology has also bought adjoining stands in Belvedere at a total cost of $5,1 billion.

Various other church organisations have agreed to buy church stands availed by the council in some parts of the city at $40 000 a square metre.

Council has sold another 112 housing stands to five co-operatives in Dzivaresekwa. The co-operatives — Chazezesa, Chimiro, Merch Club, Rusununguko and Unity Progress — will engage their own land surveyors and engineers.

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