By Munashe Chokuda
Galloway land developer Killer Zivhu has moved to block the electrification of the area by writing to ZESA requesting that all such operations be done through his office.
The move is aimed at holding the residents at ransom until they pay the Value Added Tax monies which he has been demanding from them despite initially losing the case at the High Court.
In a letter dated 24th May Zivhu, through his Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association (ZAHA) company, in a letter signed by one P Chapfunga, directs that ZESA not go ahead and connect anyone without his office’s clearance.
“This letter serves to notify your office not to carry out power supply connections to Galloway residents without our approval and or consent with immediate effect”.
“Galloway is privately owned by ZAHA and is still under development, thus we, therefore request any service on this piece of land be done through our offices as we are the sole authority overseeing all the development”, he said.
Residents of the area have however dismissed the move by the land baron as another cruel overture of arm-twisting them into conceding defeat in a VAT wrangle that has seen Zivhu lodging an appeal at the Supreme Court.
In January Zivhu lost his case at the High Court when he sought to have the residents pay back the monies collected from him for VAT by ZIMRA.
The High Court ruled that the move was an amendment of the initial contract between ZAHA and the residents and could not be allowed as it breached the agreement.
Justice Hungwe who ruled on the matter stated that, “I am satisfied that the position is that the defendant (Zivhu) cannot now raise 15% extra as VAT because that has not been included to the original price. He cannot at this stage alter the terms after contract of sale.
“The defendant’s argument is untenable”, he said.
A ruling on the appeal, lodged in February, has not yet been made.
Land barons have been a problem in Norton with many of them failing to fulfill the terms of sale such as developing residential areas with sewerage system or roads.
This rampant abuse of residents has been blamed on the Norton Town Council which is said to be working in clandestine unison with the land barons by giving them more papers for various stages without due diligence.
In Kingsdale, the residents have also taken Cuthbert Mpame to court over monetary issues whilst on the ground he has done nothing tangible.
Cases of corruption in Council and government offices have been named as some of the most rampant and debilitating to the nation as they provide tight webs that are hard to break.
Corruption has been found to be one of the leading reasons for Zimbabwe’s gradual economic decay.
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