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| Simbarashe Mandishona |
TellZim Reporter
The
recent visit by a team of land commissioners dispatched by the ministry of
Local Government to look into how the City of Masvingo has been handling land
allocations has unearthed serious irregularities, TellZim News can report.
The city’s
deputy housing director Simbarashe Mandishona is one of those under the
spotlight, having allegedly allocated himself an extra residential stand in
Eastvale in a dubious manner.
The stand
in question, which Mandishona had allegedly convinced council to condemn before
taking it over at no cost, sits adjacent to his other regular stand in the same
suburb.
This
created for Mandishona a double stand twice as big as any other average residential
stand in the suburb, an anomaly that raised the suspicions of the investigators
who then started to question.
The extra
stand which Mandishona is said to have irregularly allocated to himself was
repossessed by the council in 2012 after the previous owner is said to have
failed to make any developments to it.
When
contacted for comment, Mandishona told TellZim News that he could not comment
on the matter but said that his detractors were out to besmirch his ‘good’ name.
“This
is a very sensitive matter and I am not allowed to comment. Yes, the land
commission was here for 10 days and I think people should wait for the report.
“I do
not want to put myself in trouble by commenting on an issue which I am not
authorized to speak about. My enemies are out to tarnish my image,” said
Mandishona.
Sources
who spoke to TellZim News said that after council repossessed the stand, which
is next to Mandishona’s, the deputy housing director wrote to his boss Levison
Nzvura informing him that the repossessed stand could no longer be developed
and he should be allowed to add it to his own so that he could have sufficient
ground to park his cars.
Nzvura
is said to have agreed to his junior’s request and signed all the requisite
papers.
“The
commissioners visited Mandishona’s house in Eastvale and were surprised by the
extravagant size of the stand as well as the elegance of the house he built
using the small salary he gets from council.
“The
commissioners asked how Mandishona could have a double residential stand in one
suburb when council rules do not permit it when it comes to council employees
and councillors,” said the source.
Mandishona
tried to justify himself when TellZim News pressed him further, but was quick
to add that he did not want to pre-empt the work of the commission and that he
would rather go down alone than entangle others.
City of
Masvingo Housing Director Levison Nzvuura told TellZim News that the matter was
complex and could not give a comment.
“This
is a complex matter and as you know we have a communication procedure which
prohibits us from making comments that affect the council,” said Nzvuura.
City of
Masvingo Acting Town Clerk Edward Mukaratirwa told TellZim News that the
commission did not give him any details of their findings.
“The
land commission came and when I had an exit meeting with them, they did not
tell me anything about their findings.
“They
simply told me that they would produce a report which they would give to Minister
July Moyo so we are waiting to hear from the minister. What you are asking is
just hearsay for now,” said Mukaratirwa.
