Plumtree residents are up in arms with their councillors whom they accuse of acquiring housing stands for their relatives and friends who are not on the housing waiting list.
They alleged genuine home seekers, some of whom have been on the list since 1996, were sidelined in the allocation of stands.
The angry residents have called on Local Government, Urban and Rural Development minister Ignatius Chombo to investigate the local authority.
Residents told NewsDay that six councillors were involved in the underhand deals.
Councillors were allegedly allowed to bring names of at list six relatives each for the stands in the MaKariba area of the border town.
Plumtree Town Council secretary David Luthe was not available for comment as he repeatedly said he was in meetings on Monday. Yesterday he was not answering his mobile phone.
Residents said 100 stands were sold in MaKariba at $1 000 each.
“We saw people who are not on the list being given stands ahead of us,” one resident said. “Some of those people told us that they paid the councillors to get favours.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Some residents have been on the waiting list since 1996 and are failing to get stands.”
Plumtree Residents’ Association chairman Paulos Ncube confirmed the local authority had allocated stands in MaKariba, but was not aware of the selection criteria for beneficiaries.
“The association was not involved in the programme,” he said.
“We just heard those allegations and we are still to find out the truth. We want to meet those who saw it happen. What I can confirm is that we know the stands at MaKariba were issued.”
Ncube said the residents’ association held a meeting on Monday where the issue was raised and another one would be arranged to make a follow-up.
“The meeting will be at Dingumuzi Hall,” he said. “On Monday the councillors indicated they wanted to meet us during the meeting and we suspect they wanted to discuss the issue of stands.
“But we are saying if the cheating occurred, they should have done it using those who are on the waiting list, not to disregard the list.”
