The ManicaPost
Abel Zhakata
Senior Reporter
THE Government has invited private land developers to propose solutions to turn the chaotic Gimboki Housing Scheme into a functional suburb with all the requisite amenities, The Manica Post has learnt.
In an interview with this publication on Wednesday following a closed door meeting with land developers and officials from the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza said Government is determined to regularise the housing scheme which has created headaches for beneficiaries and City of Mutare since 2007.
Gimboki Housing Scheme was identified as a priority project under the National Development Strategy 1 for 2021, an indication of the Government’s commitment to restore sanity at the settlement.
“The Gimboki Housing Scheme is a dysfunctional settlement with no water or electricity supply, no sewerage system or roads,” said Mr Seenza.
“The Government is in the process of regularising the suburb. A clear plan will be approved and its implementation closely monitored. A well established suburb must come out of Gimboki. Developers have been invited to come on the ground, assess the situation first hand and come up with a plan to fix this housing mess.
“At the end of the day, the developer who wins the tender to do the remedial work has a task of bringing sanity to this location and ensure that world class settlement services are availed to the community,” said Mr Seenza.
Since 2007, the housing project has caused headaches for City of Mutare.
In 2015, Government instituted a probe into the housing scheme and a litany of regularities were unearthed, including the fact that cooperatives under the housing scheme were mishandling funds paid by beneficiaries.
Issues of double allocation of stands were also uncovered.
As the drama unfolded, frustrated beneficiaries moved on site and built shacks, thereby establishing the illegal settlement.
In a complaint letter dated April 24, 2015 and written to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, some members of the housing scheme complained of massive abuse of office and power, corruption, fraud, misappropriation of public funds, violation of human rights and violation of corporate governance principles at the housing scheme.
The members complained that nothing tangible had been done to develop the stands since 2007 despite beneficiaries forking out millions of dollars.
“We want to put it to your attention that we as residents of Mutare have encountered several problems in our quest to own residential stands within the city. In 2007, we were blessed to have the approval of the Minister to form a housing consortium by the name Mutare Housing Consortium (MHC).
“MHC then entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Mutare City Council to develop the piece of land named Gimboki South Housing Project with about 5 410 residential stands.
“A committee was established comprised of seven people, each drawn from the seven groups to form the consortium management committee. The project started operating in 2007 with members subscribing money for the development of the stands through their respective groups.
“Since then, the project was characterised by serious misappropriation of public funds, lack of transparency and corruption, among many other issues to an extent that two consortium committees have since been expelled…”
The members alleged that the then Mike Duru-led committee was corrupt.
“Our great concern now rests with the current consortium committee led by Mr Duru on which the Town Clerk (former), Mr Obert Muzawazi has since assumed the role of an arbitrator since August 2013. The project today is in serious turmoil and we are in unprecedented misery in the history of land development in the city.
“In August 2012 the consortium committee fraudulently engaged Dreamoss Investments which falsely claimed to be a financer. The company went on to deduct thousands of dollars from beneficiaries, a situation which led to thousands of people being defrauded of their money for more than two years with no noticeable development taking place at the project . . .the consortium has failed to give financial reports explaining the income and expenditure structure of the project,” read the letter.
Members also alleged that the committee was stealing individual stands.
“The consortium has been involved in serious corrupt activities with regard to people’s money and individual stands. Thousands of people have lost their stands as we speak. The committee has illegally dispossessed poor people of their stands.
“There is serious double allocation of stands with bonafide beneficiaries’ stands being sold to undeserving people who have not been part of the project since 2007.
“The consortium database is in shambles. The database held by individual groups is different to that at the consortium office, which is also different to that at the city’s housing department.
“We are also informed that some council officials at the housing department are also involved in these shenanigans with the consortium (the then) vice chairperson, Mrs Tsuro. We are also aware that some of the consortium committee members have acquired properties in and outside Mutare using people’s money, a fact which needs to be investigated by the serious fraud squad,” read the letter.
