Kwekwe council’s director of housing Newton Dete and some councillors have been implicated in a case where a councilor has been dragged to court for allegedly making up to $10 000 by illegally selling housing and commercial stands.
Report by Staff Reporter In his defence yesterday, Johannes Ngozo told provincial magistrate Taurai Manwere that he was surprised that he was the only one accused of duping desperate home seekers in the scandal.
Ngozo, who chaired the housing committee told the court that council had repossessed 180 stands and allocated them to Dete and some 13 MDC-T councillors who went on to sell them to their preferred clients.
“Every councillor and the housing director had an allocation from the 180 stands which we had repossessed which they were supposed to sell to their friends or relatives and I used my allocation to try and assist people from my ward,” he said.
The councillor said he was the only councillor singled out and arrested because he was being politically targeted by foes in the MDC-T.
“I am the only one being charged because some people saw me as a threat to Mbizo Member of Parliament Settelment Chikwinya’s political future,” he said. Ngozo was recently fired from the MDC-T over allegations of graft and was jailed last Tuesday over a $2 300 debt, which he failed to pay back following another foiled deal.
The trial continues on September 19.
