THE Land Commission probing sale of State land in the Midlands province has expressed shock at the role played by former governor Jason Machaya in controversial deals.
BY BRENNA MATENDERE
Commission chaiperson Justice Tendai Uchena said it was unprecedented that the former governor would personally allocate land to private land developers.
“In all the other provinces that we have been to, we had the allocations being done at the head office of the Lands ministry in Harare, with provincial officers only sending their recommendations of potential developers. But here, we are having a case where the Minister of State for provincial office would do so,” Justice Uchena said.
He made the remarks while the commission was interviewing Sheasham Investments, a private land developer in Midlands.
The company’s director, Clever Mandaza told the commission that he applied to Machaya to get land and was given without going through any processes to ascertain his capacity to develop it into residential and commercial stands.
Sheasham Investments got land to develop over 1 000 stands.
“What is more curious is that the former minister would order those he gave land to go and pay $5 000 to a specific person at the Public Works department. We would think that payment, if it was needed, would be done to any accounts person there,” Justice Uchena said.
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In the offer letters signed by Machaya to allocate land to private land developers, he would stipulate that they pay $5 000 as “administration” fee to Matilda Manhambo, who worked as Midlands provincial projects officer at the Local Government offices in Gweru.
The fees have since been found to be irregular because they did not go into government coffers, amid indications they could have been abused by the former minister and Manhambo. Private land developers who paid the fee have indicated they were not given receipts.
In giving his evidence, Mandaza said he tried to get a receipt from Manhambo for accounting purposes, but to no avail.
“When we made a follow-up, we were given a letter of acknowledgment to say the money was received, but we did not get an actual invoice,” he told the commission.
Machaya is facing corruption charges for selling State land in the province.
Former Gweru mayor Francis Chikwira, who at that time was his ally and top Zanu PF official, was given land for three projects with each having about 1 000 stands.
