By A Correspondent | A Special Investigations report done in 2009 ordered Augur Investments to return City Council land since the company had breached on its obligations on Sunshine Development projects deal.
Augur Investments, which is owned by self exiled business tycoon, Ken Sharpe received massive tracts of land from City council. The agreement between the City of Harare and Augur was that, Augur was to avail finances for the construction of low and medium income houses in the Warren Hills Golf Course area and Hopley Farm respectively. They were also to construct a hotel in the Golf course area and a truck-inn near Mbudzi Round about in the Hopley area.
Council was to provide land for all the projects. The percentage shareholding for Augur was agreed to be 70% and 30% for City of Harare. To utilize their equities, Augur was to inject between US$20-30 million but till now, Augur has not extended a single cent the report says.
Sunshine Development (Pvt) Ltd is the Special purpose vehicle, which came out from the agreement between City of Harare and Augur.
Sunshine Development Pvt. Ltd had six directors namely
Kenneth Raydon Sharpe and his nationality is cited as “South African”, Olelcsandr Sheremet from Ukraine, M.J. Van Blerk, a Zimbabwean, Tendai Mahachi, a Zimbabwean, Psychology Chiwanga, a Zimbabwean and Alistair Gibson who was said to be British.
The total land that was looted in the name of Sunshine Development projects include Stand 8113 Warren Park 80,5 ha, 8118 Warren Park 20,7 ha, 33 Tariro Hopley 6,1 ha, 34 Tariro Hopley 9,3 ha etc.
A decade later and still counting, Ken Sharpe has not delivered on that but took Harare City Council ‘s land anyway.
“Disciplinary action be taken against the Town Clerk for authorising the issuing of Title Deeds to Augur without seeking Council approval,” reads the report.
The Special Investigations committee led by the Councilor Warship Dumba further barred all Council employees from entertaining anything to do with Augur Investments.
“Disciplinary action be taken against Engineer Munyonga for defying Council decision that all Council employees should stop attending anything to with Augur,” reads the report.
Augur Investments is embroiled in quite a number of litigations arising from the land it acquired via these questionable deals with City Council.