Residents of Borrowdale have filed a criminal complaint with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission against the acting director of Urban Planning for the City of Harare, Rejoice Mugocha. They allege she improperly issued a permit to the United Methodist Church Borrowdale Circuit for its premises at 9 Doveton Road. This action, they claim, defied a recent High Court judgment which had interdicted the church from operating at that residential location.
The court had ruled that the church failed to fulfill specific conditions from a 2017 permit, including obtaining necessary permissions from the Director of Health and the Chief Fire Officer. The residents' legal representatives, Kantor & Immerman, stated that Mugocha issued a temporary permit just days after the court's decision, a process they describe as impossibly rapid and a criminal abuse of duty. Commission spokesperson Simiso Mlevu confirmed the complaint was received and would be reviewed.
The court had ruled that the church failed to fulfill specific conditions from a 2017 permit, including obtaining necessary permissions from the Director of Health and the Chief Fire Officer. The residents' legal representatives, Kantor & Immerman, stated that Mugocha issued a temporary permit just days after the court's decision, a process they describe as impossibly rapid and a criminal abuse of duty. Commission spokesperson Simiso Mlevu confirmed the complaint was received and would be reviewed.
