ZANU PF hijacks registration of prospective home owners in Gwanda

By Violet Gonda

20 September 2005

Several ruling party functionaries are engaged in misleading people into believing that only ZANU PF members can benefit from the new, but failing housing scheme in Gwanda. It’s alleged that some people who had developed stands to foundation level were told that the stands had been given to soldiers and police officers.

Desperate residents were told to meet at the space in the locations area, which has been allocated for Operation Garikai, at Phakama near Pelandaba stadium.

But state security forces told people that only those registered in the ZANU PF offices would get housing and informal business stands. A Gwanda resident told us that at least 15 people were turned away yesterday after they couldn’t provide ZANU PF cards to be allocated stands.

According to the Local Government Act, only local authorities have the mandate to issue both housing and business stands. ZANU PF is also taking advantage of the housing programme to sell its cards.

Our contacts in Gwanda tell us that the Gwanda Municipality has accused former Gwanda Mayor and current ZANU PF chairman for Matabeleland South, Rido Mpofu, of confusing residents and seeking to undermine the council by illegally diverting the registration of prospective house-owners under “Operation Hlalani-Kuhle” to ZANU PF offices.

It’s reported that Mpofu, who was voted out of office in 2002 and early this year imposed as ZANU PF chairman, was also claiming to be ‘registering’ vendors who will take over the new vending bays as soon as construction is completed.

Mpofu is reported to be telling people that only those registered in the ZANU PF offices would get housing and informal business stands.

Efforts to get a comment from Mpofu were fruitless. A secretary at the ZANU PF office told our contact that he was out of the town on party business.