By Staff Reporter
The Commission of Inquiry in Affairs in the City of Harare has questioned the ownership of the commercial estate allocated between Alps and Granter to the acting town planner of Council Samuel Nyabeze.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed the commission led by retired judge Justice Maphios Cheda early this year to investigate financial management systems and audit compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and financial management of revenue generated through special vehicle companies and other out-sourced arrangements
In response, Nyabeze said the estate belonged to a Mrs Kuwanda.
“The building plans that I have mentioned the name of Mrs Kuwanda. There are no initials. In fact, it was stamped three times.
“The plan for 1999 leaves out a distance of three metres from the road frontage but this plan was revised in 2011. It does not leave building lines from Alps road. It is already on the road. The last revision was in 2013.”
The commission asked if the town planner visited the site before approval.
“No. Normally, we have what we call a one-stop shop at council where several departments or divisions are represented at the one-stop shop by technicians.
“These are the technicians who go through each division, who will look at issues that are relevant to it. We have a town planner who will look at issues of use, land use, whether the land use being proposed is relevant to the property. The planner will also look at the issue of building lines,” he said.
