HARARE City councilors are furious over a ministerial directive to allocate 30 low-density residential stands to Members of Parliament, arguing that the move misrepresents the role of elected officials and prioritises personal gain over public interest.
The controversy stems from a letter dated September 12, 2025, from Local Government minister Daniel Garwe addressed to mayor Jacob Mafume.
The letter, which Mafume read to councillors on Wednesday at Town House, requested council’s assistance in providing the stands.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is rolling out the Members of Parliament Residential Stands Scheme throughout the country,” Garwe wrote.
“However, the ministry has no low-density residential stands for this programme in Harare.
“Given the foregoing, may you avail at least 30 low-density planned residential stands in the northern suburbs in your area of jurisdiction for this programme.”
He gave the municipality a deadline of September 19, 2025, for the provision of stands.
He added that the ministry would later identify and transfer urban land of “equal value” to council.
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Councillors, however, condemned the move, stating that it sets a bad precedent and undermines the principle of public service.
“My objection to the ministerial letter allocating only low-density stands to MPs is because the role of elected officials, both MPs and councillors, is to create opportunities for citizens. MPs represent people, not themselves,” ward 16 councillor Denford Ngadziore said.
“This sets a bad precedent when MPs prioritise personal gain over residents’ interests.”
He also questioned the logic behind the allocation saying: “It is also irrational to allocate low-density stands to all MPs, including those from high-density constituencies or rural areas.
“Furthermore, such allocation must follow council housing policy and procedures.”
In a separate development, Mafume announced that the city has set up a functional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
He accused certain council officials of having resisted the system to facilitate corruption.
“The long-resisted ERP, which council officials used to facilitate their looting and run away from accountability, is now fully operational,” Mafume stated.
“Shady deals will be exposed going forward.”
Successive Auditor-General reports have highlighted irregularities in council accounting systems because of lack of an ERP system, resulting in millions not being accounted for.
ERP is a software system used by councils to manage their operations and core business.
