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Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
LOCAL Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo has said the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) should provide alternative accommodation before demolishing houses built on undesignated sites.
This comes at a time when the municipality has said it plans to demolish all illegal structures in an exercise that would target mainly Killarney and Ngozi Mine where unapproved land developments are most common.
“It’s illegal to build without permission of the planning authority which is the Bulawayo City Council in this case. The Bulawayo City Council should make sure that those who want to build illegally are stopped forthwith and if they force it , they should call the police and make sure that demolitions are done as quickly as possible,” said Dr Chombo yesterday, in an interview on the sidelines of a United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe fundraising event held in Manningdale.
He said government has declared that where permanent structures have been built, the local authority which is demolishing the structures should provide alternative accommodation.
“In other areas where building has been done and people are staying, government is saying provide them with alternative accommodation and they demolish at their own expense. An illegality remains an illegality,” Dr Chombo said.
Thousands of residents have built illegal structures at Ngozi Mine and also at Killarney.
The BCC and other municipalities intend to demolish thousands of houses and other structures that were erected illegally to ensure that all developments conform to prescribed land uses.
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo has in the past said there were a few illegal structures to be demolished in Bulawayo compared to other cities such as Harare where they are prevalent.
Recently, First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe slammed the demolitions of houses by MDC-T led councils.
Although she warned Zimbabweans against allocating themselves residential stands, she said the demolitions should only take place when the affected people had been offered alternative accommodation.
Meanwhile, Dr Chombo who was attending a fundraising ceremony for the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe spoke against violence in the church.
“There’re so many wrangles going on in churches, there were wrangles in the Anglican Church, Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, an Apostolic sect in Gandanzara in Manicaland among others. We ought to really make sure that churches avoid these wrangles,” said Dr Chombo.
The minister, who is Catholic, said his parents are members of the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.
He commended the unity prevailing in the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe,
“Most of these churches have been around for a very long time and they’ve played a significant role. They’ve brought education to our country, training of nurses, teachers, pastors and above all the spread of the gospel of God. This can only happen when there’s unity in the church,” said the minister.
He said rapport between the state and church is promoted when there is no infighting in religious groupings.
Dr Chombo, who was accompanied by his wife, donated building material for the construction of the bishop’s house.
He said as testimony to government’s close relationship with the church, recently President Mugabe built a dormitory which houses 78 pupils at Sacred Heart Primary School in Esigodini.
Online Reporter