BY WinstonE Antonio
POLICE in Harare yesterday arrested Harare City Council town planner Priscilla Charumbira for criminal abuse of office.
In a statement, police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said Charumbira contravened section 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 when she unprocedurally approved a sub-division of land which had been set aside for other purposes without authority from Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development minister July Moyo.
“The matter came to light following a tip-off which was received by police and prompted investigations into the matter. The suspect will appear in court soon,” he said.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police will leave no stone unturned in the quest to account for all people involved in illegal land allocation and other criminal activities.”
Charumbira, who is wife of president of the Chiefs’ Council Fortune Charumbira, is alleged to have irregularly changed land use plan for open spaces in Sunningdale and along Samora Machel Avenue and allocated the land to “friends” at the expense of the deserving public.
The land in Sunningdale was parcelled to Metro Peech wholesale while service stations were set up on residential land along Samora Machel Avenue without change of land use authority sometime in 2016.
The Sunningdale land was reserved for recreational facilities, but was unprocedurally turned into a commercial zone.
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Charumbira was also accused of unprocedurally allocating an open space opposite Harare Quarry to one Chisvo.
