7. Housing allocation: one scandal after another Who has been allocated the houses? “Priority in the allocation of houses will be given to those who were affected by Operation Murambatsvina”70 The greatest scandal surrounding OGHK involves allocation of the handful of houses built – every town has reported gross irregularities, with houses being allocated to government officials, children of cabinet ministers, police, army, multiple house-owners and others who were not on any official housing list. Who makes the decision on allocations? The IIMCs are responsible for deciding who gets the houses. Local authorities consisting of town or rural councils have handed over to these committees their official housing waiting lists, with their recommendations with regard to beneficiaries. However, local councils do not have a definitive say – this resides with the IMCs, all of which are headed by senior army officials. In fact, local authorities in Matabeleland have been among those most scandalised by the final allocation lists. From early in February 2006, allocation of housing began countrywide, and simultaneously so did the outcry about fraudulence and favouritism. Fraudulent allocations in Bulawayo By early March reports of corrupt allocation erupted in Bulawayo: “Housing scandal: people who didn’t deserve benefited from Hlalani Kuhle – council vows to expose culprits”. 71 Interviews with council officials in August 2006 clarified the degree of initial corruption in allocations. In August last year, the BCC submitted to the IMC their own priority short lists as to who should receive houses under OGHK. Their selection process took into consideration those who had already been on the city waiting lists for years or even decades, who had also been living in a back yard shelter that was demolished, and were civil servants, such as nurses and teachers. Their lists consisted of people who met at least two out of these three stated selection criteria. Yet when the IMC released the list, out of the 700 houses allocated, only 37 names from the BCC short list were included! ie 95% of OGHK houses in Bulawayo were initially allocated to people who were not victims of the demolitions and were not on the BCC shortlists. Furthermore, when those allocated OGHK houses came to register and pay for the land through city council offices, which is the standard procedure, it was discovered that a sizeable percentage of those who had been given OGHK houses were already rate payers in the city – they already owned a house! The city council refused to register these “beneficiaries”, as the scheme is clearly intended for those who have no housing alternative. 70 The Chronicle, 6, 16 and 17 August 2005 for a few articles citing this policy, plus endless rhetoric to this effect during 2006. 71 The Chronicle, 3 March 2006, front-page headline. 32