Land audit shocker in Gweru

The Land Commission has unearthed a corruption syndicate involving some local authorities’ officials and land developers.

It emerged during the on-going land audit that some Gweru City Council officials are conniving with some land developers and produce fake approval certificates for road and sewer designs, which are not filed in the city’s official records, exposing lack of coordination between the local authority and land developers.

The country’s laws require that for every development to happen, there is need for approval certificates from city council inspectors at every stage of development.

The fake approval scam was exposed at Striations Developers who are developing Belton Farm of Clidessdale along Gweru-Bulawayo highway.

Gweru City Council Assistant Director Engineering Services, Mr Tapiwa Marerwa indicated that there were no records of approval certificates with the representative of the developers, Mr Francis Chikwira indicating that they have such certificates.

Zimbabwe Land Commission Chairperson, Commissioner Tendai Bare said the initial phase of the land audit has exposed some serious lack of coordination between land developers and council authorities with the commission only able to come up with a conclusion once the audit process is finalised.

“I must say we have been witnessing the lack of coordination between land developers and council authorities everywhere we have visited particularly here in the Midlands Province. The audit is in many phases and this is just the initial phase and will only be able to say much once we conclude the audit as it is quite a process,” said Commissioner Bare.

The Land Commission is now conducting hearings where stakeholders are summoned to be quizzed on issues that need clarification with the final report expected to be submitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa on completion of the audit.