HARARE - Government minister Martin Dinha has resold a house he bought for 48 cents five years ago for a whooping $48 000, the Daily News can reveal.
Dinha, who is minister of State for Mashonaland Central, bought a council house for a paltry Z$0,48 at the height of the country’s economic woes.
The house is on a stand measuring 3 025 square metres.
Dinha confirmed to the Daily News that the house, in Bindura’s low density suburb of Shashi, had indeed been sold.
“I can confirm that the house in question has been sold,” he told the Daily News.
“Now, all of the money is going towards the underprivileged in the community.
“I left the house after I had bought another one. When I sold the house last year, I donated all the money to Hearts of Mercy, a charity organisation that takes care of the underprivileged.”
According to Dinha, the house was sold last year and when the Daily News visited House Number 342 in Shashi, the new owners refused to divulge how much they had paid for the house.
Dinha, a former mayor for Bindura, purchased the house at a giveaway price as part of his exit package and then refurbished the property.
Executive mayors are entitled to generous exit packages and golden handshakes.
Dinha said he was not the only one who bought a house for “peanuts” at the time, but could not give the names of others involved.
The sale of the house to Dinha was made through Ignatious Chombo, the minister of Local Government.
“I bought that house for that price because it was a negotiated price and it is not Dinha alone who benefited from the scheme,” the governor said.
“Every council employee then, who was staying in a council house, was given an opportunity to buy it.”
Yesterday, the Daily News crew visited the Hearts of Mercy charity and spoke to the organisation’s coordinator Michael Mtetwa, who confirmed the generous donation.
“We received about $48 000 from the minister and we are really grateful for his gesture,” Mtetwa said.
“So far, he (Dinha) is our biggest benefactor and we are assisting scores of children with school fees.
“We are also helping those living with disabilities and the elderly.”
Chombo’s involvement in the sale of the house to Dinha for ZW$0,48 is contained in the deed of transfer, which the Daily News has seen.
The deed of transfer partly reads: “…Japhet Kabanga as the town clerk of Bindura Municipality under the instruction from the minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, (Chombo) dated 27 February 2008 and the said appearer (Dinha) that the mentioned property has been duly sold to him at half price with consent from the minister of urban development dated 27 February 2008 and that he in his capacity as attorney aforesaid hereby transfer to Martin Tafara Dinha.”