By A Correspondent| City of Harare has confirmed that it disagreed with the Kenneth Raydon Sharpe owned Augur Investments on the work done towards the construction of Airport Road but was overpowered by Local Government minister July Moyo who decided to pay the investor with state land.

In his response to a High Court challenge filed by Harare North legislator Allan Norman Markham and two others who wanted the Deed of Settlement authorizing the ‘fraudulent’ transfer of 273 hectares of land to Augur Investments OU as payment for work done on Airport road, City of Harare Acting Town Clerk, Engineer Mabhena Phakamile Moyo confirmed that they were not happy with the underperformance by the investor resulting in the cancellation of the agreement.

“There is tangible evidence that work was done on airport road although not to completion,” Engineer Moyo said.

“It is true that at some point council was not happy with underperformance by Augur. That is why it cancelled the agreement. It did so in consideration of what was best for the council,” he added.

Moyo however let the cat out of the bag telling the court that City of Harare could not stop government from dishing land to Sharpe despite ‘things not having gone as expected’.

“From the information that I have gathered from some of the records relating to this transaction, the Deed of Settlement was entered in good faith and that it was made in the best interest of the public. Things may not have gone as expected but the original intention was to promote infrastructural development for the benefit of the public,” added Engineer Moyo.

He further confirmed that City of Harare who were originally the owners of the project were overpowered by government through the local government minister July Moyo who single-handedly facilitated the transfer of Stand 654 Pomona Township to Sharpe.

“The transfer of stand 654 Pomona Township is a bilateral contractual issue. Once the owner of the property decided to transfer the property I do not believe third parties can interfere. This was state land which the state decided to transfer to Augur. The City of Harare could not have stopped or refused that,” said Engineer Moyo.

In what reveals the dirty hands of the state, Engineer Moyo further told the court that City of Harare disagreed with Augur Investments on the value of work done while seeking to protect public interest but the owner of the land who in this case is the state decided to transfer it.

“It appears from the Council records that at some point the 5th respondent disagreed with Augur regarding the value of work done. Those matters were litigated upon and there are outcomes. So it is not as if the 5th respondent has not taken steps to protect the interest of the public regarding this transaction.

“It is true that stand 654 Pomona was state land and the state through the relevant ministry decided to transfer it. There is nothing that the 5th respondent could have done to stop that,” said Engineer Moyo.

In his application, Markham together with Jacob Pikicha and Tavonga Savings Scheme wants the land deal between City of Harare and controversial ‘land baron’ Sharpe to be reversed on the grounds that it was not only illegal but a “grand theft” of land belonging to the people of Zimbabwe.