Mutasa happy with preps ZACC compiles report on city’s illegal land sales

By Shingirai Huni

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (zacc) is compiling a report on its findings following investigations into irregular land sales involving serving Harare City councillors and those who served under former mayor Mr Muchadeyi Masunda.

This follows Zacc’s initiative to conduct investigations on the cases.

The commission is also probing the awarding of tenders to Energy Resources Africa Consortium (ERAC) and Sidal Engineers for the rehabilitation of Firle Sewage Works by the MDC-T-run council.

Zacc is already in possession of documents relating to the two cases.

Sources close to zacc said the investigations were continuing and they will soon present their findings.

“The investigations are ongoing and so far they are in the process of compiling a report of their findings,” said a source.

“That is, what they have obtained on the ground. The investigations would be complete soon.”

An investigation by a team set up by council comprising four councillors and three external experts – an engineer, a lawyer and an accountant – last year revealed that council awarded the $13,8 million tender to ERAC, an unregistered company with no capacity to carry out the work.

Despite being not registered, ERAC has been paid millions of dollars since 2011, although the two parties did not have a contract.

ZACC investigators have since requested documents from city management, as fears abound that some officials and councillors might have corruptly benefited from the transactions.

They have also requested the list of all councillors who served Harare for the past eight years and details of land sales involving the councillors. Harare Mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni recently confirmed that zacc officials descended on Town House.

The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing recently declared that no councillor will receive special benefits following the recent abuse of privileges for the purchasing of industrial and commercial stands by councillors.

Councillors can, however, still purchase residential stands within their wards, provided they do not own any other residential stand.

The deal to rehabilitate Firle has been shrouded in controversy, with documents showing that whereas the Harare City Council wrote to ERAC and five other companies – AMA Welders, Martin Millers, Engineering and Electrical Suppliers, Sidal Engineers and Easternfield – inviting them for ‘selective tender’ on December 20 2010, ERAC began its registration as a company on January 20, 2011.

It only got its Certificate of Incorporation from the Registrar of Companies on February 17, 2011 after the tender had been closed on February 8, 2011.

The company is a joint venture between Energy Resources Africa owned by Dave Mashayamombe and a South African company, Portriver, owned by Harold Crown. The Herald