Harare City boss Dzehonye throws CCC councillors under the bus, labels them ‘bishops’ of land invasion
He says councillors want stands outside their wards in plush neighbourhoods across Samora Machel and want to 'ball to their fall'
Harare – Harare City Council (HCC) principal housing officer, Edgar Dzehonye has accused councillors of being involved in illegal land invasions and regularizing illegal activities in the city, a commission of inquiry hearing into the running of Zimbabwe’s capital heard this week.
“It is an intricate web,” Dzehonye said.
“Whenever there is an invasion you have people coming to our offices being represented by councillors.”
The city councillors majority of them from the CCC opposition party want to regularize illegal land invasion of 144 sites despite the majority of the sites being unoccupied.
“The majority of spaces (to be regularized) there is no one on site,” Dzehonye said.
Dzehonye said any illegal land invasions and people who have built on council land without permission must be demolished.
Dzehonye said the housing waiting list is now “an academic” exercise as people who are not on the 500 000 manual waiting are not being allocated stands on the first come, first served basis.
Dzehonye said councillors have been involved in the day to day running of the city which is against the laws.
Dzehonye said councillors want stands outside their wards in plush neighbourhoods across Samora Machel.
The five member commission of inquiry led by retired Justice Maphios Cheda was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May to probe HCC affairs.
The commission has heard from several people that include HCC management and councillors who have exposed massive corruption and mismanagement at the council.
Is there a clear plan of action to correct these wrongs after the commission of inquiry. For example are people going to be arrested and prosecuted. Is the law going to change with regards to standing for office as a councilor, your education and financial background? What decisive measures are going to be put in place to ensure proper service delivery in Harare?