Auditor-General flags land acquisition chaos at Tr...

Auditor-General flags land acquisition chaos at Trabablas Interchange

Philemon Jambaya

Zim Now Editor

The multi-million-dollar Trabablas Interchange, recently hailed as a key infrastructure development, is now at the center of a brewing controversy following the 2024 Auditor-General's report. The report, recently tabled in Parliament, sharply criticizes the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development for significant "missteps" in land acquisition, raising alarms about potential fraud and future litigation.

The Auditor-General's findings highlight a critical failure by the ministry to notify the Registrar of Deeds about the expropriated land for the interchange, a direct violation of Section 10(1) of the Land Acquisition Act [Chapter 20:10]. This lapse, the report warns, leaves the door open for property owners to potentially sell their land or obtain mortgages using their existing title deeds, thereby exposing the ministry to considerable legal and financial risks.

“The ministry did not provide evidence that shows notification to the Registrar of Deeds of the expropriated land for Trabablas (Mbudzi) Interchange, so that no other transactions are done on the properties,” the report stated, emphasizing the potential for "legal challenges with the ownership of the properties."

The ministry’s response, as noted in the report, indicated that notification to the Registrar of Deeds would only be done upon project completion. This explanation, however, failed to assuage the Auditor-General’s concerns, who reiterated the necessity of alerting the Deeds Office immediately to prevent unauthorized transactions. "While this approach could align with the ministry's operational procedures, it is essential to alert the Deeds Office of the development to ensure that the property owners will not sell the properties or obtain mortgages using the title deeds of the properties under sale,” the Auditor-General's office retorted.

The ministry further clarified its position by stating that "the majority of the affected property owners are yet to receive full compensation," making it difficult to ask them to relinquish their title deeds. They added that the process of notifying the Registrar of Deeds would occur after the actual construction, once their survey team measures the land and produces new diagrams.

Beyond the land acquisition issues, the Auditor-General's report also cast a critical eye on the ministry's sluggish progress in addressing previous audit findings. Out of 20 findings from the previous year, only seven have been fully addressed, with eight partially addressed and five completely unaddressed. This lack of progress, according to the report, "raises questions about the ministry's commitment to transparency and accountability." The report strongly urged the ministry to comply with the Land Acquisition Act to safeguard its interests.

The Trabablas Interchange, a crucial traffic grade-separated junction at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze, Chitungwiza, and High Glen roads in Harare, was officially opened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May this year. The project was initially contracted to Tefoma, a consortium of Tensor Systems, Fossil Contracting, and Masimba Construction, for US88million.However,thetotalcost, including compensation for former property owners,hassinceescalatedtoUS114 million, as confirmed by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube.