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Grubby details of MDC Chitungwiza corruption

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zimbabwe reporter 06 February, 2010 07:10:00

Tapiwa Mashakada,

HARARE - A damning corruption report presented to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and to the MDC's anti-corruption czar,

Details the looting of Chitungwiza Town Council's coffers by the local authority councillors, the illegal and corrupt sale of housing stands, and the rampant barter exchange of housing stands for vehicles.

The intricately detailed report forensically outlines corrupt transactions and property holdings by several powerful members of the Chitungwiza Town Council elite. The figures in the report sum to tens of thousands of US Dollars - comparable in magnitude to the looting of infamous kleptocratic regimes. The leak, which emanated from within high levels of the Zimbabwean government, seem to be motivated by the desire to demonstrate that Tsvangirai has clear-cut evidence of corruption among his councillors, and must not suppress the evidence.

The leaked material is extremely politically sensitive.The leaked document, prepared by the Zengeza West district, is clearly self explanatory - being one of the preliminary reports received by the Prime Minister and Tapiwa Mashakada, the top MDC anti-corruption czar, appointed by Tsvangirai to nip in the bud sprouting coruption in MDC-run councils.

The damning report names four MDC councillors allegedly involved in the property corruption scandal, Ward 11 councillor Tineyi Kanyama, Ward 12 councillor Rangarirai Mutingwende, Ward 9 councillor Marengu Tembo and Ward 6 councillor Patrick Urayayai. The leaked report contains source enquiries, business associates and front men for the councillors and outlines the most suspicious financial transactions, properties and business links.

The report comes as Local Government, Rural and Urban Development minister Ignatius Chombo has suspended one of the councillors named in the report, Councillor Kanyama pending a probe into allegations that he corruptly allocated himself a commercial and residential stand. The report also says all councillors were allocated stands in Ward 6, Zengeza 5 Extension by sacked ex-Chitungwiza Mayor Israel Marange, whose dismissal was also confirmed by Chombo last week, but the councillors have either sold or exchanged the stands with vehicles.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said there will be no sacred cows in the blitz, adding Mashakada had covered a lot of ground and was due to present his full report to the national executive.Documents in our possession allege that Clr Kanyama has illegally sold stands behind Zengeza 3 shops, standing between Zengeza 4 Primary School and Zengeza 1 High School. The stands were sold despite a High Court order HC4908/08 issued on 17 December 2008 barring their sale.

The documents allege the Chitungwiza housing director, one Mrs Gumbo and Councillor Nota's wife of Zanu (PF) were involved in the corrupt sale of the housing stands.

"The agreement was for him to benefit 30 stands from stand number 18259-18930 of which he got those stands," says the report. "He sold 3 stands 19093, 19094 and 18041 for US$3000 (each). Of those 30 stands some were exchanged with vehicles, a Toyota Corolla ABF 7437 from Hubert Nguruzi with 2 stands, Red Musso AAI8245 from Liberty Mandimuka in exchange with a stand. Toyota Cressida ABA 5494, Mazda B1600, AAH7463 from Clear Line Electrical exchanged for a stand."

Some of the stands were allegedly sold to Aaron Dzimba, stand No. 18921, Michael Nyashanu No. 18925, Patrick Gono stand No. 18922; Simbarashe Musaki stand No. 18922.

"At Zengeza 3, the creche there was converted and he has built his own house on stand No. 19057 Madyirapanze against the residents will," says the report. The report alleges Clr Kanyama also sold for US$4000 each recently, stands No. 31433, 31401, 19093, 19414, 19749, 31479, 31480and 31444.
The council got only US$200 from each sale, with the councillor allegedly pocketing US$3800 per sale. The documents say Clr Tembo sold stand No 17144, 17146, 17762, 18002, 19093, 19004, 19019, 19094 and commercial stands. Some of the stands have been concealed under shelf companies and some hidden under relatives' names, the dossier says.

"He exchanged a stand with (ex-Mayor) Israel Marange for a B2200 which he is currently using," says the report. Tembo, who was the MDC district chairman in the disbanded MDC executive, is alleged to have worked in cahoots with provincial chairman one Mr Magaya and Marange.

"Mr Magaya benefitted with 2 stands opposite South Hospital, stand No. 17904 and 17906, both registered in Magaya's name. Also sold recently are sand No. 18003, 31477, 31491, 31488, 31476 at US$4000 or R40000 each." Again, the council only got US$200 from each sale.

Clr Mutingwende is accused of creating four stands at an area that had not approved by the surveyor general. Clr Mutingwende and Kanyama were said to have taken two stands each out of the four.

"In addition to what they have acquired and sold are stands in the order 17781, 17869, 17978, 18113, 18114, 18116, 18110, 18914, 18345, 18912, 19216, 19217, 19218, 19193 sold to Danmore Mandiwanzira, 19194 to Simbarashe Muparadzi, 19197 to Perpetual Mushore, 19186 to Simon Chitowa and 19188 to Zororai Hwanyira."

The councillor is said to have also created new stands, again without approval of the surveyor-general, stands No 19216, 19217 and 19218 along Vashandi Rd in Zengeza 3.The councillor is also alleged to have received from the corrupt sale of commercial stands, a Mazda T35, Mazda 6, Mazda B22, Mercedez Benz 190E, Range Rover Discovery, Mazda 3 and a Nissan Hardbody.

"He has tarnished the image of the MDC by his daylight robbery from residence," says the report.

The alleged primitive accumulation by Chitungwiza councillors comes as close to half of residents in the dormitory town live under the UN's poverty level of 1 US dollar a day, and have to contend with burst sewer, critical water shosrtages and general institutional collapse. The report calls for restitution of all assets looted from the residents. If the restitution programme was enforced it would have been possible to get justice for the Chitungwiza residents who live in abject poverty and are forced to fork out hard-earned money to corrupt city fathers and the political elite living as Dollar Millionaires on the proceeds of corruption.

The corruption in Chitungwiza has been a source of discomfort for the Prime Minister, elected on an anti-corruption platform, and amid high hopes that he would end grand corruption in Zimbabwe local authorities. But despite Tsvangirai's high-profile moves to stamp out the vice, including appointing Mashakada as his personal advisor on anti-corruption and good governance at the party, the root causes of corruption - underpaid civil servants, an acceptance of bribery by big business, and dirty money - remain largely unaddressed.

The corruption report presented to Tsvangirai also details alleged corruption by Clr Urayayai, who is accused of illegally selling business stands, with the report naming the Mpakati and Makomo Grinding Mills. Clr Urayai is also accused of dishing out stands to his cronies and loyalists ahead of thousands on the housing stands, including his pastor, his landlord's son, identified as Mahlenwe in the papers.He has also allegedly given a housing stand to the man who built his house, one Nyarenda, said to be the vice youth chairman for the MDC in Ward 6.

"At Limbani Shopping Centre, he corruptly sold some commercial stands to Mr Makomo of Classic Foods and Mr Gomba, one for US$7000 and another for US$6000 and he went on to buy 250 herd of cattle which we believe are in Gutu, his rural home. He also bought eight grinding mills and currently runs shops and butcheries in his rural home."

"Also recently sold are residential stand numbers 17147, 19019 and two commercial stands: 17910 and 18049."

Outraged Chitungwiza residents are charging that the new "liberators" of the town were helping themselves to the residents' resources, seemingly with impunity and with apparent disregard for ethics, morals, laws and common human decency.

"They should donate all those councillors to Zanu (PF)," said Pedzisai Ruhanya, a journalist-cum-political analyst, who is also a vocal Zengeza resident.He said the corruption in Chitungwiza was an indication of the sick state that the country was in economically, socially, politically, adding it was surprising to see the councillors looting and destroying the town and letting the ordinary people who were tricked into voting for them live in horrible conditions and circumstances.

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