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City planner arrested for criminal abuse

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A HARARE City principal town planner and town planning technician have been arrested on charges of criminal abuse of office after they allegedly sub-divided council land without following procedure.

A HARARE City principal town planner and town planning technician have been arrested on charges of criminal abuse of office after they allegedly sub-divided council land without following procedure.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

The suspects, Sidney Musere (54), the principal town planner, and Gibson Moyo (47), town planning technician, were yesterday granted $100 bail each by Harare magistrate Barbara Chimboza, who remanded them to May 10.

The complainant, City of Harare, is represented by Philip Mabingo Pfukwa, who is the director of works.

It is the State’s case that on June 11, 2012, Julius Musevenzi, who was the director of Emancipator (Pvt) Ltd, leased with an option to purchase a piece of land in Waterfalls measuring 1 580 square metres from the City of Harare.

Musevenzi allegedly later erected some buildings on the stand and in February 2013 he sub-let one of the building to one Darlington Dumba, who then started operating his butchery shop.

It is alleged a misunderstanding then ensued between Dumba and Musevezi over ownership of the land. Dumba then approached the City of Harare and made an application for sub-division of the 790 square metres piece of land into his name from the total piece of land which Musevezi was leasing.

The State alleges Musere and Moyo then connived with one Samuel Nyabezi, who is yet to be arrested, and corruptly subdivided the land applied for by Dumba, which was transferred it into Dumba’s name without proper and sufficient documentation from the City of Harare.

It is alleged sometime in April 2016 Dumba further subdivided the land which he was unprocedurally given and Musere, Moyo and Nyabezi again approved the building plan without following proper procedure.

The State alleges the trio intentionally worked on the sub-division without circulation of plans to various City of Harare departments or other entities like Zesa and TelOne as per requirements.

The alleged offence came to light on May 17 after Musevezi summoned Harare City valuations and estates manager to explain why the land was sub-divided whilst it was being leased.

Musere, Moyo and Nyabezi’s actions were allegedly inconsistent with their duties as public officers.

Sebastian Mutizirwa was prosecuting for the State.