adminFrom Tawanda Mangoma
CHIREDZI Town Council has entered into a deal with Chiredzi Rural District Council which will see the latter ceding land for the municipality’s expansion.Chiredzi District Administrator Clara Muzenda said the development follows the town council’s failure to meet demand for residential stands due to a shortage of land.
Addressing residents during the Exodus Housing Cooperative Annual General Meeting in Chiredzi on Saturday, Muzenda said the Chiredzi Town Council (CTC) and Chiredzi Rural District Council (CRDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which the latter would avail land for the town’s expansion.
“We now successfully announce that the rural and urban councils of Chiredzi successfully signed a Memorandum of Agreement in which the rural council will avail land for the expansion of the town.
“Councillors from both councils agreed to work together towards the development of Chiredzi. The programme is now ready and it’s time for you to have your residential stands,” said Muzenda.
The DA said government, through the Provincial Administrator’s Office, gave the rural district council the nod to provide land to Chiredzi Town Council on a special basis as the authorities had previously announced that boundaries would not be altered until the 2018 elections.
Chiredzi Rural District Council (RDC) Acting Chief Executive Officer Mikia Majatame told Chronicle that as part of the deal, the two local authorities would share revenues realised from the sale of stands by the town council.
Majatame could not immediately state the period under which the monies would be shared. “The co-operation would mean the RDC and Town council will benefit from proceeds which would be generated from the land on a 50/50 basis for a certain number of years,” said Majatame.
The latest development comes as statistics indicate that the town council has a housing backlog of 10,000 going back to 1990.
Chiredzi West Member of Parliament Cde Darlington Chiwa said the town’s expansion is in line with Zim-Asset goals.
He added that part of the newly acquired land must be used to decongest the town by creating shopping centres.
Chiredzi East Member of Parliament Cde Denford Masiya, however, challenged cooperatives to be transparent and avoid taking advantage of desperate home seekers.
“Harare is growing fast because of cooperatives but at times some irregularities are witnessed. Cooperatives, please don’t take advantage of desperate home seekers to misuse their money. There are genuine cases of home seekers and that’s why they entrust you with their money,” he said.
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Bongani Ndlovu