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Councilors change ownership of ordinary residents' houses into their names
Harare Residents Trust (HRT)
March 01, 2010

HRT Vindicated on Alleged Corruption by City Councillors in Highfield

The Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) commends the work of its affiliate in Highfield who have exposed acts of alleged corruption involving three Councillors of Wards 24, 25 and 26. The Councillors are named in a housing scam in which they allegedly used their public offices and authority to change the ownership of houses from ordinary residents into their names (The Herald 25 February 2010). We demand their immediate suspension pending the outcome of investigations. The HRT tolerates no abuse of office by elected officials from any political party. They must explain what roles they have played in circumventing council's policies on housing.

This must serve as a warning to other Councillors who continue to amass wealth through abuse of their public offices. In the same vein the HRT commends the position taken by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) for their principled stand against corruption. We now urge them to investigate the involvement of Councillors Maxwell Katsande (Ward 26), Silus Machetu (Ward 25) and Job Mbadzi (Ward 24), and if found guilty they must be expelled from the party, the council and the Criminal Investigations Department must take decisive action. An example must be set with those in the Capital City.

Agreed facts by the Highfield Residents' Trust are clearly repeated in the Herald article and we commend the newspaper exposing this evil act by elected officials. According to the Herald article titled Councillors in bid to grab houses, the affected three families have received council bills in the councillors' names indicating the properties had changed ownership. 'Bills for house number 5577 are now registered in Councillor Maxwell Katsande's name while the bills for house number 5043 are appearing in Cllr Job Mbadzi's name. Council is also billing Cllr Silas Machetu for house number 5567 in the same suburb. Mrs Rina Manuwere Chitembo (72) has lived in house number 5567 since 1965.

Councillor Katsande should explain how his name can be on a bill of a property unrelated to him. His response that "I have been given virgin land to build a house in Waterfalls, l am not interested in that house anymore because it is rented accommodation" is a sure sign that his objective of becoming a councillor if aimed at accumulating wealth and not serving residents of Highfield. What if it was not rented accommodation? We can only speculate.
Way Forward:

• The City of Harare should institute thorough investigations into the conduct of these three identified Councillors, establish their roles and hand over their findings to competent bodies who must deal decisively withal implicated officials.
• The MDC-T, on whose ticket these Councillors came into office, should make its position public and hold these officials accountable, if they are serious about fighting corruption.
• The Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Ignatius Chombo and his Deputy Minister Murisi Zwizwai have to censure these Councillors demand written reports and have to intervene
• The Highfield Residents' Trust continues to document other acts of alleged corruption by their elected Councillors and will submit these reports to Council, Parliament and the Local Government Ministry.

For details and comments please contact the Harare Residents' Trust (HRT) on +263 912 869 294, +263 733 296 806 or email us on hretrust@yahoo.com/ hretrust79@gmail.com

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