The ManicaPost
Lovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
TWO former Rusape Town Council (RTC) managers – Laurence Mushayabasa and Karl Norman Muzandaka – were last week arrested for allegedly disregarding a council resolution barring them from dealing with a private developer that is embroiled in a land ownership row with the local authority.
RTC is embroiled in a farm (Zimati Kop) ownership wrangle with Diagonal Investments, a company owned by Mr Norman Sachikonye. Mr Sachikonye intends to develop a new township on the farm, but council has stalled development for over five years, alleging entitlement over the same piece of land.
The two officials are facing criminal abuse of office charges for allegedly disregarding the resolution and approving 1 100 stands for Diagonal Investments at Ridgemont Park. Mushayabasa and Eng Muzandaka were not represented when they appeared before Rusape magistrate Mr Gift Manyika.
The duo was not asked to plead, and their case was postponed to March 28, 2019 for trial.
Prosecutor Mr Marlon Makamba told the court that the two officials acted against RTC’s standing resolution to desist from dealing or engaging with Diagonal Investments, whose director Mr Norman Sachikonye, intends to develop a township at Zimati Kop Farm until the ownership dispute over the ownership of the farm between the two parties is settled.
“Rusape Town Council has over the years advanced various appeals to Government through Ministry of Local Government for the said farm to be handed over to it for urban expansion. In April 2015 Diagonal Investments sought approval of engineering drawings for 1 100 stands, which application was turned down due to council’s standing resolution.
“At all material time all managerial personnel, including the accused persons, were privy to the said developments. After the application by Diagonal Investments was turned down, Mushayabasa and Muzandaka acting in concert and went on to approve the said designs. The offence came to light sometime in 2017 during a meeting attended by Diagonal Investment senior officials and RTC councillors and senior managers. Diagonal Investment officials produced the approved engineering drawings much to the astonishment of the RTC delegation,” said Mr Makamba.
Both Mushayabasa and Muzandaka resigned from RTC at different intervals.
