Harare, Zimbabwe | A far-reaching corruption scandal has engulfed Harare City Council, exposing what appears to be a deeply rooted and audacious scheme involving illegal land allocations.
Senior council officials, including the Director of Housing and a recurring figure of controversy, Mr. Amos Mupuri, are at the center of these serious allegations.
A new investigative report—based on extensive analysis of official records and insider accounts—uncovers what investigators describe as deliberate and repeated violations of land management laws.
The findings point to rampant illegal construction, unauthorized land sales, and possible bribery within the council’s ranks.
This controversy is unfolding in the shadow of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s declared crackdown on so-called “land barons.” The President has condemned these actors as a major threat to national development and vowed firm action to dismantle their influence, especially in urban centers like Harare.
His administration’s stance is uncompromising: no unauthorized land developments after the 2021 policy cutoff will be regularized. This has placed the suspected activities at Harare City Council in direct defiance of national urban planning directives.
The report’s contents are damning. It recommends the immediate halt of all construction on lands identified as illegally allocated. The evidence presented outlines flagrant procedural breaches, misuse of authority, and actions that strongly suggest criminal wrongdoing.
Insider sources have described a systematic operation allegedly spearheaded by Mr. Mupuri, in collaboration with the Director of Housing. The scheme reportedly involved bypassing legal processes to allocate prime council land without proper documentation or transparency.
“These weren’t errors—they were deliberate acts to benefit a select few while stripping Harare’s citizens of their rights,” said a senior official who spoke under condition of anonymity.
The probe also calls for a forensic financial audit to track transactions tied to these dubious land deals. There is growing suspicion that public officials may have received bribes to ensure the illicit land handovers went unchallenged.
These revelations align with findings from a separate 2024 investigation, which accused city councillors of conspiring with land barons to allocate land illegally, sidestepping official waiting lists. Many of these plots have since been developed without the necessary planning approvals.
The report recommends that authorities enforce demolition orders on all structures erected on unlawfully acquired land—a tough measure likely to provoke backlash but deemed essential to uphold the rule of law.
Experts warn that such unregulated developments not only strain municipal resources but also discourage investment in the formal housing market, further damaging the city’s prospects.
Legal professionals reviewing the case argue that disciplinary measures alone would be inadequate. They are calling for full criminal prosecutions of anyone found complicit in the alleged offenses, warning that failure to act would erode what little confidence the public still holds in local governance.
This aligns with the government’s ongoing national operation against land corruption, which has already led to thousands of arrests, including figures within the ruling party.
The report also demands public access to the full audit findings—a call for transparency in a system long criticized for secrecy and shielding influential individuals from accountability. It further urges the return of all misappropriated land to the City of Harare, restoring it for genuine public use.
In April 2025, the government imposed a moratorium on new housing development permits, a move interpreted by many as a response to escalating concerns over urban land misuse.
This scandal is not merely a case of procedural mismanagement; it reveals a deeper betrayal of public trust by those tasked with serving the people. Evidence suggests that council offices have been exploited for personal gain, turning public service into a mechanism for private enrichment.
Mr. Mupuri, described as a central player in the saga, remains free despite a history of legal troubles. Court documents show that in 2014, the High Court upheld his conviction for forgery, sentencing him to 36 months in prison, with part of the sentence suspended. While he was later involved in a separate case in 2016 where he was ruled a victim, his criminal record raises serious concerns about his ongoing involvement in public affairs.
As the scandal continues to unfold, the spotlight now turns to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and Harare City Council. Citizens and civil society alike are demanding urgent and impartial investigations, followed by arrests and prosecutions of all those implicated.
The question now is whether this explosive report will prompt real accountability—or fade into obscurity like so many corruption cases before it.
What remains clear is that Harare residents have grown increasingly frustrated. Their demand for justice and responsible governance is loud—and growing louder.
The time for real consequences, in alignment with the President’s own declarations, has clearly arrived.
For comments, Feedback and Opinions do get in touch with our editor on WhatsApp: +44 7949 297606.
