*Harare councillors fight undervaluation of land compensated to Chiyangwa’s Pinnacle Holdings* https://thevoiceonlinenews.com/5359 ___________________________________ `June 13, 2025` ___________________________________ > *Follow The Voice Online News WhatsApp channel:* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaPRQqTHrDZdGRK5yH43 ___________________________________ > *Share The Voice Online News WhatsApp group link:* https://chat.whatsapp.com/DjU5F7Goh3M6M4XSkg81Gx ___________________________________ > *To advertise with The Voice Online News, talk to us here:* https://wa.me/message/PLR6ANGW2RX4I1 ___________________________________ HARARE City Council risks losing thousands of dollars in land value if the municipality complies with the government directive to compensate Pinnacle Holdings with tracts of stands. The Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, recently wrote a directive to Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume instructing the City Council to allocate land to Pinnacle Holdings as compensation for property acquired by the government. Pinnacle Holdings is owned by businessman Philip Chiyangwa, who is also a ZANU PF member. The directive sparked a heated debate in a recent Council meeting, with Ward 16 Denford Ngadziore expressing concern that the council might part with the land at a value lower than its actual price. “The report is saying US$5 per square metre. So my argument is, in Malbereign and around Harare, we are selling at US$20 per square metre, whilst on the other side, it is going for US$5 per square metre. “We cannot transfer land whose value we do not know. We are not transferring tomatoes; this is land we are talking about,” said Ngadziore. The proposed compensation has angered residents, with associations labelling the move as unconstitutional and tantamount to government interference in the affairs of the local authority. As a result, residents are calling for the compensation to Pinnacle Holdings to be halted. Several stands have been earmarked for compensation, subject to the Council’s approval. However, anomalies have been raised regarding some of the stands. Adonia Shoko raised a red flag over stands in Kuwadzana, stating that some individuals already hold offer letters for the land. Kudzai Kadzombe also raised a similar concern regarding land identified as part of the compensation to Pinnacle Holdings. “I have a personal interest because, as Councillor of Ward 41, we have already raised this issue. We have a piece of land in Bluffhill which is on that list, but residents had already submitted a petition and begun mobilising to build a council school,” said Kadzombe. The HCC Finance Committee is set to deliberate on Garwe’s directive and conduct due diligence on the anomalies raised in the meeting. However, Mafume bluntly told the Council that those aggrieved should consider mounting a legal challenge. “Anyone who feels aggrieved or has their property rights affected by the letter is advised to make a beeline to their lawyers,” said Mafume. – _*NewZimbabwe*_