By Tendai Guvamombe
An environmental activist Francis Nyamutsamba has come under fire for allegedly haunting Peg Makuchete over his double storey mansion and for allegedly delaying construction progress in Glen Lorne under the banner of a sub-catchment council.
Information established by Spiked Online revealed that Peg Makuchete formerly bought the high class residential stand in Glen Lorne over a decade ago around January 2007 but now cries foul following Francis Nyamutsamba’s personal motives to hinder ongoing construction at the site claiming that the area is along a stream.
In an interview yesterday in Harare, Peg Makuchete said as a law abiding citizen he took a mandatory procedure to approach all the relevant authorities and stakeholders seeking recommendations to construct his house in a safe and responsible way of keeping the natural environment.
“I am a professional who has acquired a residential stand through formal means. As a law abiding citizen I took a logical step of approaching all responsible authorities seeking recommendations and legible plans to build my house safely without harming the natural environment.
“Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officials visited this construction site more than once and made positive recommendations where they also hinted to closely monitoring the natural environment in the area,” he said.
Despite all efforts exerted by Makuchete in formalising paper documentation and construction process of his newly found residential place a stumbling block came his way when Francis Nyamutsamba engaged efforts to suspend the ongoing building process.
“I am fully convinced that Nyamutsamba is personally working with some people through his catchment council to make me lose my residential stand which I have invested much. I don’t hesitate to reiterate that no one has powers to take this land away from me through whatever means because I own it and I have authoritative documents,” he added.
“This land is not actually a river as Nyamutsamba puts it but what happened is that this stream was diverted as drainage from a flowing stream and people are starting to make an issue out of it thinking they might win the stand.”
Francis Nyamutsamba, the Chairman of Nyaguo Sub-Catchment Council whom Makuchete accused of visiting his residential place without his consent said that he has been making attempts to stop construction progress.
“We wrote letters to the developer stopping him from building his house because this land is a in a river therefore he has to stop with immediacy,” he said.
Despite all these Makuchete vows to take legal actions should chairman of Nyagui Catchment Council persist meddling with his private property.
“If he is to continue with his behaviour I will definitely take him to courts and I cannot allow him to go that far.”
The residential stand which is part of subdivision of a stand 2728 Glen Lorne Township was dully approved by the Surveyor General’s Office in April 2006 with a stamped Certificate of Compliance from the Department of Urban Planning Services City of Harare and approved building plans from the Department of Works.