By Marshall Bwanya
HARARE – State security forces are probing a bogus US$10,5 million regularisation scam targeting over 150,000 homes in the Hunyani, Harare South, and Churu constituencies.
These three constituencies are Zanu PF urban strongholds, bolstered by illegal peri-urban settlements.
The scheme purportedly involves suspected Zanu PF agents impersonating government officials from the ministry of local government.
A viral video shows one of the ladies working with the suspects, Adel Chikomo, being accosted by angry Ushewekunze villagers who refused to pay the fraudulent US$70 regularisation registration fee.
According to Zanu PF Harare province sources, the ruling party has directed the police, CIO, and army intelligence to investigate the scam.
According to a leaked audio from a self-styled pirate radio station called Via dot.com, the scheme originated with the Zanu PF Harare province secretary of lands.
The recording includes an unnamed speaker accrediting Zanu PF Harare Zone 6, District Coordinating Committee (DCC) political commissar Recliffe Chikwenhure, for reportedly negotiating a registration price reduction from US$70 to US$50-40.
This controversy is unfolding while president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s five-member Commission of Inquiry, chaired by retired High Court Judge Justice Cheda, investigates governance issues at Harare City Council.
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson, Michael Reza, has underscored the pervasive nature of corruption, particularly among officials in local authorities.
“In the year 2023, ZACC received 999 reports. It was disheartening to discover that reports against public officials accounted for 56 percent of the cases, that is 559 reports received against public officials,” he said.
“Of those,109 were against public officials in local authorities and 22 against ministry of local government and public works officials,” said Reza.
Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, when reached for comment, emphasised that law enforcement is handling the investigation and declined to comment further.
“Looks like the law enforcement agencies are properly discharging their statutory mandate.
“For optimal performance they should not be interfered with in any manner including premature comments.
“As the ruling party we want the law to take its own course,” said Mutsvangwa
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume clarified that no political party has the authority to regularise settlements in the capital.
He urged residents not to pay the scammers and emphasised that all housing matters are handled by the council in collaboration with the local governance ministry.
“There is no one with authority to regularise illegalities. All things relating to housing will be done according to the law with the council.
“Anyone who is taking money from people is committing a number of crimes including fraud. So people must not pay and those people must be stopped,” said Mafume.
Mafume went on to state that the council had seen the leaked audios of the suspected Zanu PF attempting to hoodwink desperate homeseekers.
“We have also seen the videos. We have seen the purported people wearing bibs trying to collect money.
“It is an offence. It is theft, they should not collect money from people. No one has sent anyone to collect money to regularise.
“In any event, according to council processes each person pays their own money at the council premises were they are given official receipts for any money that has been collected,” said Mafume.
Minister of local government, Daniel Garwe, on Monday signed ZACC integrity pledges, highlighting corruption within local authorities as a national development threat.
“Corruption is so cancerous and has become the number one enemy, hindering all developmental efforts and promoting poor service delivery to citizens, as we strive towards the ambitious goals outlined in Vision 2030,” he said.
Zanu PF Harare provincial chairman Cde Goodwills Masimirembwa mobile number was unanswered after several attempts while his deputy Ephraim Fundukwa’s phone was not reachable.
National police spokesperson commissioner Paul Nyathi mobile number was also not reachable for comment despite several attempts to get hold of him.
