Local government minister Ignatius Chombo and flamboyant tycoon Phillip Chiyangwa, Robert Mugabe's nephew, have been named in a Harare City Council special investigation report which exposes how influential people irregularly acquired land from the municipality.

The special investigations committee's report on Harare's land sales, leases and exchanges, covering the period October 2004 to December 2009, names Chombo and Chiyangwa as some of the beneficiaries of land allegedly acquired corruptly from the Harare City Council.

The two are among those wealthy Zimbabweans whose sources of wealth are the subject of suspicion and controversy.

The minister owns dozens of houses, residential stands and commercial land in towns all over the country.

He owns up to 20 vehicles and trucks, tractors and loads of farming equipment.

Chiyangwa, a former MP and a Zanu-PF provincial chairman has a string of companies and arguably the most expensive private house in Zimbabwe.

His imposing mansion has 18 bedrooms, 25 lounges, nine servants' rooms, four balconies, 15 carports, three heliports and two swimming pools.

Chiyangwa, a property magnate who loves designer suits, has the most exclusive fleet of cars in the country, including a R4-million Bentley GTC Continental convertible.

Asked in 2007 to say what his New Year's resolution was, Chiyangwa replied: "To get stinking rich and blow the minds of my detractors!"

Chombo, one of the main beneficiaries of Mugabe's violent and chaotic land reform programme, is accused of unlawfully acquiring a prime piece of land in the up-market Harare suburb of Borrowdale.

Stand 61 Hellensvale measures almost 20ha. According to the report, the minister paid only US$2300 for it - a stand estimated to be worth at least US$2-million.

"The investigating team uncovered gross irregularities in the land allocations to Chombo during the period between 2007 and mid-2008," the report says.

"Minister Chombo acquired the stand irregularly since he did not follow council's laid-down procedures."

The report, presented this week to city fathers by councillor Warship Dumba, chairman of the special committee, says Chombo violated provisions of the Urban Council Act of 1996 in securing this land.

"The procedures were manipulated by the minister for his personal gain," the report says.

Chombo declined to comment, but later told state media that MDC councillors were out to tarnish his name with the accusations.

Chiyangwa, the report says, swapped land he owned for prime council land. A 2008 council resolution rescinded the swap - but officials went ahead with the deal. He could not be reached for comment

By AFP