Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe is in the eye of another land grab storm following his decision to seize residential stands sold to Members of Parliament (MPs) in 2018 and allegedly gifting it to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's longtime ally Billy Rautenbach.
The recent exposé comes barely a month after Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative of Arlington, Harare raised queries with the manner in which he had seized their land along Airport Road and, in similar fashion, gifted it to cement making company PPC Zimbabwe.
Former Norton MP Temba Mliswa, widower to late liberation war hero Victor Rungani, Anna, forgotten opposition leaders Morgan Komichi and Elias Mudzuri, ambassadors Priscilla Misihayirambwi and Alice Mashingaidze are some of the victims.
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Trevor Saruwaka, Innocent Gonese, celebrated formed Energy Minister Fortune Chasi, traditional chief Clemence Nembire, war veteran Tendai Makunde, former Minister in the Government of National Unity (GNU) Tapiwa Mashakada, and Amos Chibaya are also on the list that numbers close to a hundred
Documents seen by NewZimbabwe.com indicate that government, through the Agriculture and Local Government ministries, sold low density residential stands to legislators from the eighth Parliament land under Goromonzi District in STUHM, in 2019 at US$1,942.
The area in question is along Shamva road, a few kilometres off Nyamapanda road.
All applications were received, handled and approved by then Local Government Minister July Moyo's Permanent Secretary on May 8, 2019 with lease agreements completed on 15 May of the same year.
Receipts seen by this publication reveal that the Local Government Ministry had already started receiving payments for these stands from legislators in December 2018 as every relevant agreement had been reached.
Government undertook to service the land before any construction, an activity that was ignored up until 2022.
Upon completion, sources say, Garwe indicated that the land had been 'taken' by the Defense Ministry, a position that was questioned at Ministry, and Parliamentary levels.
Garwe's mobile number shared with NewZimbabwe.com, was not going through Friday morning and afternoon.
"These stands were lawfully acquired by our members in full compliance with due process and applicable legal procedures," reads a letter delivered to Garwe by STUHM on May 9 this year.
"Each lease was issued by duly authorised officials of your ministry, and our members have since entered into a binding land development agreement.
"Pegs demarcating individual stands were shown to members, further confirming the physical allocation of land.
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"Our members have recently received deeply concerning reports from your ministry suggesting that no development activity is currently recognised on the site, that the land may have been secretly re-allocated to unidentified third parties, with title deeds possibly in the process of being prepared in favour of that party.
"Ministry of Agriculture is now allegedly claiming ownership of the land and asserting that it has designated its own beneficiaries."
Investigations conducted at Goromonzi District Council indicated that no incidences of double allocation or transfer of ownership had been recorded on the land while there was no government directive to seize the land from legislators.
Council officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed claims that the defence ministry had grabbed the land for its senior officials.
"Those are falsehoods, the land and stand numbers are still under MPs who applied and were given title to the land. Nothing has changed," said an official.
Further investigations have revealed that STUHM is now being reserved for construction of 'a new Borrowdale Brooke,' allegedly owned, administered and financed by billionaire Rautenbach.
Rautenbach owns the Chisumbanje based Greenfuel, a heavily protected fuel manufacturing and blending entity in the lowveld, with monopoly over the blending industry of Zimbabwe.
"What we do not understand is why Garwe, despite clear evidence of the proper sale of these stands, would disregard our right in this way.
"If we had been given, free of charge we would assume the State had reconsidered but this is land we paid for and instead of focusing on building we are now having to fight unnecessary battles," said one of the MPs.
