HARARE – Then Cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo reportedly facilitated a deal in which the daughter of former President Robert Mugabe, Mrs Bona Nyepudzai Mutsahuni, and her husband, Mr Simbarashe Mutsahuni (also known as Chikore), bought 20 hectares of Helensvale land zoned for recreation for a paltry US$2,300.
The market price of 20ha of land in Helensvale ranges from US$4,5 million to US$7,2 million. Seeff Properties, a real estate agent, was last week selling a 0,5ha stand in Helensvale for US$180,000.
Allegations compiled by city investigators are that Chombo, when he was Local Government Minister had the land rezoned to private use, so it could be sold, then arranged it to be sold for a mere US$2,300 for a company called Chordac Investments (Private) Limited, which was fronted at that time by two senior ministry officials but which is a vehicle owned by Mr and Mrs Mutsahuni.
In fact, the rezoning was still in progress when the sale went through three days before the re-designation was finalized. The re-designation had to be approved by the then Local Government Minister, Ignitious Chombo.
A land audit report compiled by Harare City Council’s special investigations committee chaired by Councillor Warship Dumba accused Chombo of allocating himself Stand 61 Helensvale measuring 20ha for US$2,300. But investigations by The Herald found that the property is owned by Chordac Investments with the two directors listed in the Companies’ Registry office being Mrs Bona and Mr Simbarashe Mutsahuni.
The Special Investigations Committee’s report noted the anomalies in the way the stand was purchased.
“The land was sold to Minister Chombo without following town planning procedures whereby change of land use was approved on March 28, 2008, after he had already bought the stand on March 25, 2008,” reads part of the report.
While Chombo’s name does not appear on Chordac Investments’ CR14 Form, his close ally Mr Nelson Mhandu, who was a deputy director in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, was one of the founding directors along with Ms Natsai Jaiwa, who was a principal administration officer in the same ministry during Chombo’s tenure.
However, according to the company’s official documents, Mr Mhandu and Ms Jaiwa resigned as directors of the company on the same day, 11 November 2015, leaving Mr and Mrs Mutsahuni-Chikore as the directors.
Mr Mutsahuni refused to comment on the issue, referring all questions to his lawyer Mr Jonathan Samukange of Venturas and Samukange Legal Practitioners.
“We don’t comment on such issues. Just write what you want. We don’t care,” he said.
Mr Samukange responded as follows: “We do not know anything about that property. We also do not know anything about that company (Chodac Investments),” said Mr Samukange.
Chombo was recently arrested by the Special Anti-Corruption Unit (SACU) in connection with the Uchena Land Commission Report, which alleges various charges of fraud and criminal abuse of office from his tenure as Minister of Local Government from 2000 to 2015.
He is currently out on bail.
The Herald
