Source: Youths get their land back | The Sunday Mail Sep 11, 2016

Residential land set aside for youths in Harare, which had allegedly been stripped from them in unclear circumstances, is likely to be restored to them following President Mugabe’s intervention last week. Insiders said after President Mugabe quizzed Local Government, Public Works and NationalHousing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere over goings-on at Chishawasha B Farm, the ministry had decided to stick to the original arrangement.

The Sunday Mail had earlier reported that the Local Government Ministry reversed all allocations on the 2 848,77-hectare farm along Arcturus Road, including 300ha for youths, and instead allocated it to Planet Africa, a firm owned by Prophet Walter Magaya.

Before last week’s Zanu-PF Politburo meeting, President Mugabe said to Minister Kasukuwere, “Ko nyaya yevakomana yemastands iri kufamba sei? Ndanzwa kuti mastands makatengesa, makatengesera ananaMagaya.”

Minister Kasukuwere responded: “No shefu. Vakanga vashaya zvekunyora. There is nothing like that. I am the responsible minister and hakuna zvakadaro zvakaitika.”

But President Mugabe pressed him saying: “No, no. Ndirikunzwa kuti land yakatengeserwa ananaMagaya. Makatengesa, makatengesa!”

And addressing the Zanu-PF Youth League National Assembly on September 3 in Harare, President Mugabe said he would not allow corruption to disenfranchise young Zimbabweans seeking residential land.

After that, The Sunday Mail understands that the Local Government Ministry decided not to tamper with Harare youths’ allocation at Chishawasha B.

It does appear, though, that withdrawn offer letters to several political bigwigs — some of whom reportedly used shelf companies to mask their allocations — will not be restored.

On Thursday, Zanu-PF Secretary for Youth Cde Kudzi Chipanga said as far as he was aware, their Chishawasha B allocation had never been withdrawn, though documents in our possession — some of them reproduced here — indicate otherwise.

He said, “I can confirm that our land is there, it has never been disturbed. What happened to the other land is not my business … My business is to make sure that we safeguard our land which was availed by His Excellency President Mugabe and we are waiting for due process by relevant authorities, such as grading of roads and servicing of stands.

“Yes, we have difficulties in terms of resources for servicing of land and grading of roads. Our wish is that by December people should have started moving onto the stands and start building,

“The youths’ land is there. We still have our offer letters. I have those letters in my desk for land availed by the President…”

He said allocations for youths would be made in every provincial capital and town and ground breaking ceremonies on some of the land would be conducted soon.

Minister Kasukuwere had also denied to The Sunday Mail that land reserved for youths at Chishawasha B had been reallocated, while officials speaking on Prophet Magaya’s behalf said they had paid a US$100 000 deposit for land offered to them by the Local Government Ministry.