NSSA could have lost millions after buying non-existent farm from Chiyangwa
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is reported to have bought 526 hectares from a non-existent farm in Chegutu. The authority bought the land from Phillip Chiyangwa in 2003 and up till now, there has been no transfer ownership. The land was bought for Z$310 million (now valued at $3,5 million). The transaction was later nullified by the government.
NSSA had written off the property after failing to locate it but was forced to investigate the matter after Auditor-General Mildred Chiri exposed the discrepancy.
However, Chegutu town clerk Alex Mandigo, wrote to NSSA advising the authority that the land did not exist. Part of Mandingo’s letter reads:
It was further pointed out that the purported sale between Gabroc Enterprises and NSSA related to a non-existent piece of land referred to in your documents as ‘portions of Chegutu town land known as Hinton Ville’ or ‘near David Whitehead’. We have no record of such property in our jurisdiction and direct you to the Surveyor-General’s Office/Registrar of Deeds to ascertain the existence and location of such property.
With respect to this transaction, it was brought to the attention of NSSA that the transaction was thoroughly investigated by government and results of the investigation concluded that the transaction was illegal and therefore null and void at both law and policy
A report from the Local Government ministry also confirms that the land does not exist. Part of the report reads:
In all the papers cited, the piece of land is differently named as Hintonville Extension, Hintonville Extension South, or just 526ha without proper identification of same and, to the extent one could argue that if NSSA and/or Gabroc cannot legally identify the piece of land that they purport to have purchased, they may as well be treated as having purchased nothing as the transaction could be treated as merely bogus
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