Commission to summon Chamisa over Harare land scan...

Commission to summon Chamisa over Harare land scandal

Nyashadzashe Ndoro

Chief Reporter

Former Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa is likely to face summons to testify before the Commission of Inquiry led by Justice Maphios Cheda, investigating irregularities within Harare City Council dating back to 2017.

Zim Now can exclusively reveal that Chamisa is required to answer for the conduct of officials under his party at the time under review during which they allegedly fast-track the illegal regularisation of land ahead of the 2023 elections.

An audio recording from Councillor Blessing Duma, a close Chamisa ally, was submitted as evidence to the Commission.

In the recording, Duma claims Chamisa instructed councillors to expedite the approval of housing cooperatives, sidestepping court orders.

Duma, currently facing separate corruption charges, admitted the authenticity of the audio and its implications for Chamisa.

The investigation has revealed that these regularisations disproportionately favoured CCC-linked cooperatives, side lining those affiliated with Zanu-PF.

Further allegations involve the illegal allocation of over 5,000 residential stands and the sanctioning of 349 unauthorized housing cooperatives.

The Commission, established to address corruption and mismanagement in Harare’s local government, has also uncovered financial malpractices, including the City Council spending over US$11 million on workshops in just five months.

Additional irregularities include the operations of council-run businesses, such as Harare Quarry and Rufaro Marketing, both accused of failing to remit funds.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume and several council officials are expected to be questioned as the Commission continues its six-month investigation before delivering its findings to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.