Ex-Harare Mayor, Town Clerk Nabbed in $20M Land Scandal
Two former top officials at Harare City Council have been arrested over a controversial land deal that allegedly bled the city of US$20 million.
Ex-Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni and former Acting Town Clerk Josephine Ncube are facing charges of criminal abuse of office stemming from their alleged role in unlawfully altering a land development agreement between the council and private developer, Shelter Zimbabwe.
Investigators say the duo violated the original 2013 contract, which mandated Shelter Zimbabwe to service 1,500 residential stands on 657 hectares in Tafara-Mabvuku.
The council was supposed to sell the fully serviced stands and later reimburse the developer.
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But in 2017, Manyenyeni and Ncube allegedly amended the deal without council approval giving Shelter Zimbabwe the green light to sell unserviced land.
The company reportedly failed to develop the area as agreed and did not remit any proceeds to council, leaving the city with a major financial loss and frustrated would-be homeowners.
The accused are expected to appear at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on April 16, 2025.
The arrests mark a dramatic turn in the city’s long-standing struggles with land corruption, adding to a series of investigations into shady urban development deals.
