A GROUP of Zanu PF youths reportedly linked to the office of Hunyani legislator Tongai Mnangagwa has come under fire amid allegations of abuse of office, name-dropping and attempting to extort residential stands from housing cooperatives and land developers.
The youths are accused of using their association with the legislator to demand allocations of residential stands in the constituency, which they allegedly intended to resell for personal gain.
The latest dispute reportedly involves Pungwe Chimurenga Housing Cooperative, where the youths allegedly approached the cooperative demanding a share of land in the Remainder of Eyecourt.
Sources familiar with the matter claimed the group presented what appeared to be a letter purportedly originating from the office of MP Mnangagwa in support of their demands.
However, officials at the cooperative reportedly questioned the authenticity of the document and declined the request, insisting that all land allocations must follow established procedures and cooperative regulations.
“We could not simply surrender land on the basis of a letter whose authenticity was questionable,” said Pungwe Chimurenga Housing Co-operative secretary Nyasha Kandenge.
“There are clear procedures governing land allocation and those procedures must be respected.
“We explained to them that the land that they wanted, the Remainder of Eyecourt, had about 34 residential stands, which were allocated to home seekers who could not be apportioned stands in the greater Eyecourt.”
Following the rejection, the youths allegedly attempted to exert pressure on the cooperative and made efforts to take control of the land, but their attempts were unsuccessful after they were resisted by cooperative members and other stakeholders.
“We have all the relevant documents and clearances from the responsible authorities regarding the land in question, the Remainder of Eyecourt,” Kandenge said.
“We ended up making a police report and one of the youth was arrested and charged for trespassing.”
A community leader who spoke on conditions of anonymity said the alleged conduct is tarnishing the image of the legislator and the ruling party.
“There is growing concern that some individuals are abusing the MP’s name for personal enrichment,” he said.
“If these allegations are true, then they are dragging the MP’s name through the mud and creating the impression that he is involved in activities that may not have his approval.”
Efforts to obtain comment from Mnangagwa were fruitless yesterday.