The land dispute between Harare City Council and businessman Phillip Chiyangwa has taken a new twist after the local authority recently resolved to appoint an independent tribunal to resolve the matter.
Chiyangwa and Harare City Council have been locked in a bruising land wrangle which has claimed the scalps of eight councillors who were members of an ad hoc committee initially tasked to probe the tycoon.
The city and Chiyangwa have been fighting for ownership of land in the city with the businessman declaring at one point he was the rightful owner of all the land in the city.
Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda told NewsDay: “We have not made much headway since last year on the matter.
“We need a way forward and we need to reconstitute the ad hoc committee and come up with an inclusive committee led by people drawn from civic society to bring the matter to an end.
“It’s clear we can’t take the matter further. We have to take it over to a tribunal,” he said.
Masunda said the council was not abdicating its responsibility on the matter as the tribunal would still report to council.
“We are not reneging on our responsibilities. One thing that should not and will not happen is for us to be judges of our own cause.
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“You can’t be the executor and judge,” Masunda said.
