Harare housing officials accused of selling 31 stands on gazetted Marlborough wetland
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Allegations of corrupt land allocations have rocked the City of Harare's Housing Department after 31 residential stands were sold on a gazetted wetland in Marlborough, with construction already under way and no environmental impact assessment in place.
Allegations of corrupt land allocations have rocked the City of Harare's Housing Department following the irregular sale of 31 residential stands on a gazetted wetland in Marlborough, with construction already started.
The stands are located at the corner of Taormina Avenue and Newstead Road, next to the Marlborough sewer ponds. Following public outcry, the Zimbabwe Wetlands Trust held a situational meeting at the site attended by various stakeholders.
Ward 41 councillor Kudzai Kadzombe said she raised several anomalies when the matter first came before council, including the fact that the area is a gazetted wetland and close to sewer ponds, and that a planned feasibility visit by the Town Planning and Housing departments was not carried out. She said she later learned with shock that beneficiaries of the stands had already made payments, which she said contravenes the Urban Councils Act and the Regional Town and Country Planning Act.
A representative from the District Office confirmed that beneficiaries had been given offer letters but said there were no development permits and that no Environmental Impact Assessment was done before the allocations. An official from the City of Harare, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Environmental Department was not consulted and described the allocations as "an act of corruption".
The Marlborough Environmental Action Group said residents were not consulted during the allocation process and questioned whether an environmental impact assessment had been issued, noting that the Environmental Management Act requires one before any development and that residents are critical stakeholders. The group warned that the development, next to the Gwebi River, would impact water supply for Harare, and said Zimbabwe, as holder of the Ramsar Convention presidency, should be championing wetland conservation.
In June this year, the City of Harare issued a warning to residents against land barons criminally selling council land in Marlborough using fake documents. City of Harare Housing Director Addmore Nhekairo is reportedly at the centre of the controversy; he promised to call back but had not done so at the time of publication.