admin
Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent
Residents of the 5 000 illegal properties that Chitungwiza Municipality wants to regularise by end of this year must come to the council and pay a penalty fee of almost US$2 000, a senior council official has said.
The development is a result of numerous calls made by residents to the municipality to regularise the 25 000 commercial and residential illegal properties that have sprouted in Zimbabwe’s third largest urban and local authority in terms of population.
Acting Chitungwiza mayor, Councillor Kevin Mutimbanyoka of Zanu PF, told The Herald that the regularisation has begun.
“Following a special council meeting held recently, we agreed as councillors to regularise 5 000 properties and the affected people should visit our offices and pay the US$1 936 or equivalent,” he said.
Clr Mutimbanyoka said the council was offering a 50 percent discount to people paying the full total by October 30.
“We are giving a discount of 50 percent to those who are coming to pay in full.
“We also urge the people to come and register so that their properties are entered into the council database.”
From the survey done by council officials most of the illegal structures were built in appropriate places and so can be regularised. However, the Chitungwiza Municipality said it would not approve structures built on roads, servitudes, water lines, sewer lines and wetlands, so these cannot be regularised.
“Most of the houses that we saw were built appropriately, but we shall send our building inspectors from the department of public works to assess the structures and only those approved will be entered into the database,” said Clr Mutimbanyoka.
Clr Mutimbanyoka said the money realised from the regularisation would go a long way in addressing challenges bedevilling the local authority that include fixing roads, and water, and sewer reticulation.
Online Reporter