Budiriro demolitions: Zanu PF land baron pockets US$500 000

Budiriro 4’s demolished Tembwe Housing Cooperative mastermind, Caleb Kadye, a bigwig in the ruling Zanu PF party, pocketed US$500 000 from unsuspecting home seekers whose houses were demolished this week by the Harare City Council.

The party stalwart is reported to have violent tendencies and was once accused of leading the 2008 political reign of terror in the area.

Kadye, who was arrested on Tuesday, is said to be the chairperson of Tembwe Housing Cooperative and a seasoned Zanu PF member who also contested in the party’s 2018 primary elections.

“Police officers arrested Kadye, the chairperson of Tembwe Housing Cooperative, on December 8, 2020,” read a police statement on Tuesday.

“Kadye, together with two other members of the housing cooperative, Frank Sithole and Talent Machaba, were charged with malicious damage to property,” the statement added.

Close to 200 Home-seekers paid US$2500 each to Kadye for the unserviced stands where they erected their houses.

The Zanu PF member was arrested for resisting execution of the High Court judgment which ordered the Harare City Council and Sheriff to demolish 190 houses that were built illegally in the area.

Kadye, and two others, were arrested after they allegedly pelted a police truck and damaged its windscreen.

The three were, however, released after the police officer failed to appear in court within 48 hours as stated under the Constitution.

In an interview Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said the co-operatives are registered and recognised by government and not council hence they could not monitor their activities.

“They (Government and cooperatives) bypassed council and created co-operatives regulated by the Co-operative Act under minister Sithembiso Nyoni,” Mafume said.

“The co-operatives are not regulated by council but registered by government. It is government which has a register of these co-operatives. They report to government and we do not have power over them.”

“They (Co-operatives) have become a law unto themselves and government has failed to control them as well as to protect the people who are fleeced by them,” he said.

Witnesses who spoke to this publication said Kadye was a well-known Zanu PF leader and receives protection from above.

“He even contested in the Zanu PF primary elections in 2018. Kadye is also a ruthless person who abuses money and is good at organising militias during elections,” one of the victims told Zim Morning Post.

“During co-operative meetings, anyone who asks how co-operative funds are utilised is victimised by his funded youths,” he added.

The victims also alleged that Kadye abused co-operative funds during elections.

An investigation by Zim Morning Post established that Kadye was part of the team that terrorised Budiriro 4 residents in the 2008 election run-off, a reign of terror that left more than 20 000 opposition supporters displaced.

“Everyone from Budiriro knows of his terror attacks on civilians in the area,” another victim of the demolitions told Zim Morning Post. Zim Morning Post