adminMunyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
REDCLIFF Mayor Councillor Fred Kapuya has criticised MDC-T councillors for politicising what he said were lawful evictions of tenants who are failing to pay rent for council houses in Torwood suburb.
He said some MDC-T councillors were themselves failing to pay rentals so were attempting to scuttle a council resolution, recently backed by a court order, for the evictions to proceed.
The court recently dismissed cases brought up by an 84-year-old woman, Utupa Imani and Monica Mandawa challenging the evictions.
Clr Kapuya said:“Rent for those houses is $12 per unit per month. With rates and water included an individual on average pays $25. So if one’s debt accumulates to $900 it means that person has defaulted for the past three years and is not committed to settle his or her debt. We’re not cruel at all but people have to understand that the 800 houses are the council’s only source of revenue. The whole issue has been blown out of proportion by MDC-T councillors who themselves are reluctant to pay rentals despite the fact that they get monthly allowances. They’re encouraging residents to default payment and manoeuvre their Western imperialist machinations and regime change agenda.”
In dismissing the two’s applications, the Kwekwe courts on September 7, declared that Redcliff Municipality was the legitimate owner of the housing units.
A ruling in possession of The Chronicle states that the court dismissed the applications.
“It is common cause that the above mentioned were challenging their evictions and had applied for rescissions of judgment. However, the court dismissed both their applications on the September 7, 2015 at 14.15 hours,” reads part of the document.
Redcliff is seeking to evict over 300 tenants who have been defaulting on paying rentals owing to various reasons. The houses were handed over to the municipality by Ziscosteel now NewZim Steel 25 years ago.
The local authority seeks to renovate and resell the house to raise revenue. Most of the tenants occupying the houses are former Zisco employees who have been waiting for years for the resuscitation of the once giant steel manufacturer.
The government rekindled hope for the revival of one of the biggest integrated steelworks in Africa when it sold 54 percent of its shares in Zisco to Essar Holdings for $750 million in a deal which included taking over Zisco’s debts and liabilities.
Ziscosteel ceased operations in 2008 as it choked under a $340 million debt and other viability problems.
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