By Nobleman Runyanga

Despite past commissions of inquiry issuing damning reports on the illegal activities of land barons in major towns and cities, the vice continues unabated in the satellite town of Chitungwiza. This was revealed in a media statement issued by the Chitungwiza Municipality yesterday.

“Council is more concerned than ever that there are some nefarious individuals that have continued to identify open spaces for allocation to themselves, despite it being the stated and explicit policy of the council that this shall not be allowed,” read part of the statement signed off by the municipality’s acting Town Clerk, Dr Tonderai Kasu.

The local authority expressed concern over continuing land invasions and illicit boundary changes to existing properties.

“Council is more concerned than ever that, in Chitungwiza, there continues to be illegal occupations of land and illegal invasions. Council is also similarly concerned that in Chitungwiza there continues to be instances and cases whereby individuals take it upon themselves to effect illegal alterations of existing property boundaries,” said the municipality.

The municipality reminded stakeholders that it is the sole planning authority in the town and, therefore, the only authorised body to sell and allocate stands. The local authority warned that going forward it would not tolerate the land barons’ illegal activities and would resort to criminal prosecution if the vice continued.

“Would be perpetrators are being ordered and directed to stop their reprehensive activities forthwith,” said the local authority.

The new bid by the Chitungwiza Municipality to fight land-based graft and lawlessness comes against a background of blatant successive MDC-dominated councils which have created a culture of looting and corruption at the local authority since 2000. A number of the town’s past mayors and the incumbent, Lovemore Maiko and his deputy, Musa Makweza have been arrested over illegal land deals.

So pervasive is the culture of corruption at the municipality. For years its workers who were owed over a year’s salary arrears continued to report for duty daily. They reported for duty to benefit from using their jobs to perpetrate land-related deals for personal financial gain, The Harare Post has learnt.