TEN housing co-operatives have dragged Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo to court following his decision to rescind a 2013 council resolution allocating them more than 300 stands in Glen Norah.
BY MOSES MATENGA
Chombo has asked council to designate the land for women’s projects.
The land in question is already at the centre of controversy as the co-operatives accused suspended Zanu PF Harare youth chairman Godwin Gomwe of extorting more than $40 000 from them allegedly using the First Lady Grace Mugabe’s name.
The applicants that include Mudadirwa Zvobgo, First Avenue, Palmer Vision, Archgrace, National Railways of Zimbabwe, Tenzi Tinzwei, West Gin, Spring Field, Green Image and Ingoni housing co-operatives believe Chombo was reacting to the arrest of Gomwe and other Zanu PF youths by rescinding a council decision.
“Immediately after the arrest of the Zanu PF youths, the first respondent through its minister gave a directive to the effect that council rescinds the resolution item 14 of the ordinary council meeting of December 2013,” the court application said.
“It is the said resolution that led to the applicants being awarded the piece of land and hand back the property to the 5th respondent.”
The co-operatives said Chombo’s directive was unreasonable and unfair as it lacked merit.
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“The minister’s directive is, therefore, unreasonable and unfair as it lacks merit and seems to be a reaction to the arrest of the Zanu PF youths mentioned above,” they said.
The applicants were allocated 300 unserviced residential stands in Glen Norah by the director of housing and community services, City of Harare and received offer letters for the stands on September 11, 2014.
The applicants said they had already started construction on the pieces of land and had used more than $250 000.
They argued that they were disrupted by Zanu PF youths in 2014 who demanded money from them but were given a provisional order by the court to continue working.
“Disturbances by the Zanu PF youths continued leading to the applicants being extorted in excess of $42 000 by the said youths. The applicants then caused the arrest of the youths,” the application read.
“More than 200 housing units have been constructed on the site and the applicants plead the decision by Chombo be set aside.”
The co-operatives argued that Chombo said they should be compensated by Simbai Silk Worm Co-operative, but investigations have revealed it ceased operations in 1994.
In a letter, attached to the court application, Chombo ordered council to rescind the decision to allocate land to the co-operatives saying: “When doing so (allocating the land) council failed to give due consideration to women empowerment, contrary to government policies.”
