Members of Parliament — including those from the previous Parliament — are set to receive residential stands in Harare, less than two years after each was given a US$40,000 housing loan.
The stands will be allocated in the upmarket suburbs of Marlborough, Borrowdale Central, and Greystone Park.
ZANU PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi confirmed the development, saying the initiative is being rolled out across cities and provinces.
Togarepi added that the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, has already written to various local authorities, instructing them to allocate land to MPs for the construction of their homes. He said:
The MPs will pay for the stands, with the strategy being to remove MPs from hotels.
Reports indicate that the land being allocated to Members of Parliament in Ward 16 in Marlborough was originally reserved for the construction of a community centre. Local residents were reportedly on the verge of beginning the project when the land was reallocated.
This latest land allocation has sparked outrage and is being widely viewed as an attempt to placate MPs, just a week after outspoken war veteran Blessed Geza publicly called for President Mnangagwa’s impeachment.
Geza has been demanding Mnangagwa’s immediate resignation, accusing him of enabling widespread corruption by those close to him.
Further controversy surrounds the fact that some of the MPs set to benefit from the land had already received a minimum of US$40,000 in 2022, presented as housing loans. Cabinet Ministers, by comparison, were given US$500,000, while Deputy Ministers and Judges were also allocated huge sums under the same scheme.
Marondera Central legislator Caston Matewu (CCC), whose name appeared on a list of beneficiaries, confirmed the reports on social media but said he had declined the offer.
Other CCC MPs listed as beneficiaries include Bridget Nyandoro, Nohlahla Mlotswa, Sengezo Tshabangu, Charles Moyo, and Julia Makuwire.
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