31 Stands Sold in Marlborough Without Permits or EIA
Staff Reporter
HARARE – The City of Harare’s Housing Department is facing fresh allegations of corrupt land allocations after 31 residential stands were irregularly sold on a gazetted wetland in Marlborough.
The stands, located at the corner of Taormina Avenue and Newstead Road next to the Marlborough sewer ponds, have already seen construction begin, despite lacking development permits and an Environmental Impact Assessment.
The controversy came to light following a situational meeting convened by the Zimbabwe Wetlands Trust, attended by residents, council officials and other stakeholders.
Council Raises Red Flags
Ward 41 Councillor Kudzai Kadzombe said she had flagged the irregularities when the matter was first brought before council.
“When the matter was first brought before council, I raised several anomalies, including the fact that the area is a gazetted wetland and is also close to sewer ponds,” she said.
Kadzombe said the Town Planning and Housing Departments were supposed to conduct a feasibility study at the site, but this never happened.
“Later, I learnt with shock after the District office informed me that beneficiaries of the residential stands had already made payments,” she added.
“This is in contravention of the Urban Councils Act and the Regional Town and Country Planning Act. It’s shocking that the law makers have become the law breakers.”
She questioned how allocations were made without a permit, noting that the Environmental Management Agency has confirmed no EIA was done.
“At the moment Zimbabwe leads the Ramsar Convention and if we are not honoring what we signed for as a nation, we are setting a bad precedent. I am hoping that we will have another meeting where the Town Planning and Housing Departments can tell us how they allocated these stands on a wetland without permits,” she said.
Officials Confirm Irregular Process
A representative from the District Office confirmed that offer letters had been issued to beneficiaries, but said no development permits had been granted and no EIA was conducted prior to the allocations.
A City of Harare official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Environmental Department was not consulted.
“This is an act of corruption and no consultation was done before the stands allocation. We only became aware of it after residents raised concern,” the official said.
Residents Demand Action
The Marlborough Environmental Action Group (MEAG) has called for stern measures against those responsible.
“Marlborough residents were not consulted during the entire process of allocation of these stands,” MEAG said.
“With Zimbabwe holding the Presidency of the Ramsar Convention, we should be championing the conservation of wetland ecosystems and not the degradation of these fragile ecosystems. This development is happening next to the Gwebi River and this will impact water supply for Harare.”
Council Warning Ignored
In June this year, the City of Harare warned residents against “land barons criminally selling Council land in Marlborough using fake documents,” and urged the public to verify with district offices before making payments.
City of Harare Housing Director Addmore Nhekairo is reportedly at the centre of the controversy. He promised to call back for comment but had not done so by the time of publication.
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