In an interview this week council officials said that councillors had come down hard on the management to immediately implement the resolution they passed in January and reaffirmed at February full council meetings that the council should repossess its No. 4 Mbuya Nehanda mansion.
Said the official: “As management we have resolved to sell to Mutasa the house that he was illegally occupying instead of repossessing it. But this has not gone well with some councillors and the higher offices. We have been given a directive from the ministry (Local Government) to repossess the house.”
He said some officials had been victimised and labelled sympathetic to Mutasa. “But, some of these things have unforeseen aftermaths so we are going to follow all the procedures and we intend to engage an independent valuer to ascertain the true value of the property and offer it to Mutasa,” he added.
Outspoken ward 10 councillor Chabanzura Goto viewed the delays by the council management to repossess the mansion as a way of trying to protect Mutasa. “Why is the council intending to sell the house to Mutasa if he was holding it illegally? We have information that senior managers were hand-picked and given posts by Mutasa and they want to protect him now,” said Goto.
“Council is not afraid but we are moving with due diligence given the delicacy of the matter. We are studying the political environment but we will implement the resolution,” said Acting Rusape Secretary, Lawrence Mushayabasa.
Post published in: Mugabe Succession