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Zimbabwe government minister orders probe into allocation of clean-up houses
ZimOnline
February 07, 2006

MASVINGO – A Zimbabwe government minister at the weekend ordered an investigation into the allocation of houses in Masvingo town after senior ruling ZANU PF party officials grabbed the properties which were meant for clean-up victims.

Webster Shamu, who is the Minister of Policy Implementation in the President's Office, told ZimOnline that his ministry will fight to ensure that the houses are allocated to deserving individuals.

"I want to know how the names of these people some of whom are reported to be owners of other properties in the town found their way onto the list.

"I am now ordering those responsible to come up with a proper, new list," said Shamu after touring the housing project in Runyararo suburb.

Among those listed as beneficiaries are Gilbert Chikata, a well known ZANU PF activist in the town, Retired Major Alex Mudavanhu, and a senior ZANU PF provincial executive member, Wilson Dzoro.

Also on the list is a journalist for the state-controlled Herald newspaper who is based in the town, George Maponga and Masvingo State University senior official, Anderson Chipatiso.

The Zimbabwe government, reeling under a six-year economic crisis, last year destroyed thousands of houses and backyard shacks in towns and cities in a campaign President Mugabe said was necessary to restore order and crush a burgeoning foreign currency parallel market.

At least 700 000 people were rendered homeless while another 2.4 million people were directly affected by the exercise which was condemned by the United Nations and major Western governments as a violation of the rights of the poor.

But Mugabe initiated a new housing campaign in a bid to placate an outraged international community. The new housing project was severely hampered by a lack of cash resulting in the government handing over incomplete houses to beneficiaries. - ZimOnline

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