Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has launched a hard-hitting internal crackdown, issuing a final ultimatum to senior council officials allegedly complicit in the chaotic and corrupt land deals that have plagued the capital.
In a tense closed-door meeting yesterday, Mafume directly implicated some of his own directors and senior officials in enabling the operations of notorious “land barons”.
“There will be no more looking the other way. There are officers in this very room who have been facilitators—issuing dubious permits, turning a blind eye to land invasions, and lining their pockets while citizens suffer,” Mafume said. “Your collusion ends today.”
The mayor has ordered all directors in the housing, planning, and lands departments to submit full disclosures of land allocations and permits issued since January 2023 within 14 days. He warned that any official found to have aided land corruption will face immediate suspension and possible criminal prosecution.
“The era of impunity within these walls is over. We are compiling a dossier for the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission. If you have partnered with these barons, your time is up,” Mafume declared.
The tough stance has sent shockwaves through Town House and comes amid growing pressure from central government and residents left without services on illegally sold land.
Residents’ associations have welcomed the move but are demanding tangible results. All eyes are now on the council administration to see whether the mayor’s crackdown will dismantle the syndicates or if entrenched corruption will once again resist reform.
