Ex-Harare director faces fresh probe
TINASHE MAKICHI
Former Harare City Council (HCC) human capital director, Mathew Marara, is facing fresh allegations of selling council land in Strathaven suburb allegedly using fraudulent layout plans, Business Times has established.
Two months ago, Marara appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court facing allegations of transferring more than US$130 000 meant for the provision of water sanitation, education and recreational services, into his own personal bank account.
It was also alleged that he used part of the money to purchase a top of the range vehicle.
The allegations were unearthed in an audit conducted by the HCC’s internal audit department.
The audit report, seen by Business Times this week, contained allegations that between 2018 and 2019, Marara, and his accomplices—Aaron Tayerera, Charles Sigauke and Tutsirai Konojeera—unlawfully sold a vacant land space in Strathaven, which was demarcated to create 52 stands under layout plans TPF/WR/82/17 and SD/WR/12/16.
It is understood that the two layout plans were duplicate plans for Kuwadzana and Vainona.
Layout plans TPF/WR/82/17 and SD/WR/12/16 had 25 stands ranging from 1089 to 1103 and 1104 to 1126 and SD/WR/12/16 had 27 stands ranging from 1061 to 1088 and they shared a common land boundary.
They were allegedly both fraudulently created to enable the illegal sale of land in Strathaven.
“Both layout references TPF/WR/82/17 and SD/WR/12/16 were fraudulent and duplicate other layout plans for Kuwadzana and Vainona respectively.
Plan TPF/WR/82/17 was used for stand range 21877 to 21909 in Kuwadzana while layout plan Number SD/WR/12/16 is a reference for a layout plan for stand 446 of stand 439 Vainona Township,” reads part of the report.
The report further alleged that sometime in 2018, a council employee Kizito Chikowore and a non-council employee only known as Chilenje approached town planning offices wanting to subdivide the area depicted under D/WR/12/17.
They were told the place was reserved for a roadside parkway that only a change of reservation consent will allow for the planning of stands at the land space in question.
A change of reservation was not effected but what ensued was an approved layout plan to 2017 and signed by acting City Planner Samuel Nyabezi.
The audit report revealed that there is no circulation reference for both TPF/WR/82/17 and SD/WR/12/16 with respect to Strathaven Township suggesting that the plans were not circulated to other relevant stakeholders and departments for objections as per procedure.
In addition, ministerial consent and council approvals were not sought for change of use or reservation for the pieces of land in question.
“The Minister is supposed to consent to any change of reservations or use for the piece of land for planning of more than five stands.
In this instance no change of reservations or use was consented to by the Minister,” the report said.
Nyabezi is said to have approved layout SD/WR/12/16 in 2018 and backdated the approval due to February 23, 2017 without following proper procedures.
Several other land deals involving the council, individual councillors and officials are under investigation.
Over a dozen Harare City Council officials, including Marara, Nyabezi and surveyor Munyaradzi Bowa were recently arrested on a string of allegations that included criminal abuse of office and corruption.
Last year, Marara and 13 other employees were suspended by council to allow investigations into corruption allegations.
Marara resigned from HCC in December.A senior police officer, Superintendent Naboth Nyachega was last year arrested on allegations of abuse of office and bribery connected with the earlier sale of stands worth US$1 million in Kuwadzana.
This year, City of Harare former director of housing Admore Nhekairo was arrested in connection with the case where he allegedly approved the allocation of the Westlea stands.
