Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Government says it will not continue tolerating the mushrooming of illegal settlements in the country and warned people against abusing the olive branch extended to those whose illegal settlements were regularised.
The warning comes in the wake of an increased sprouting of settlements in areas that are prone to flooding and other vagaries of harsh weather.
Director in the Department of Civil Protection (CPU) Mr Nathan Nkomo told Sunday News that they were not going to tolerate the abuse of the Government by people who “plant” themselves anywhere in the country.
“This problem is across all the 10 provinces, we do not want a piecemeal approach to this issue of illegal settlements. I am happy that there is a committee that is chaired by the Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is seized with the matter. Where possible those settlements will be regularised,” said Mr Nkomo.
Mr Nkomo, however, said some corrupt individuals were deliberately occupying land with the hope that the Government would allow them to settle eventually.
“We will regularise those that can be regularised and where we see that these issues are being driven by corrupt practices, we must nip them in the bud immediately and deal with the culprits. We do not want people who will just occupy a piece of land to abuse a good gesture by the Government, then regularising those areas, no, we do not want that,” said Mr Nkomo.
Some individuals have also built houses and other amenities on wetlands, however, the Government said they will also legally inform those found in the wrong places.
“So the issues of wetlands, under the committee headed by the Vice President, we have come up with a wetlands master plan with clear coordinates which defines what a wetland is. Anyone who encroaches into a wetland will be legally informed by the respective authorities.
Even the Cabinet Committee on Disaster prevention and management will also deal with the same issues. If you do not manage your environment well, nature as usual will always teach you a lesson. That is why you find quite a number of people who are in those wetlands are being affected by floods,” said Mr Nkomo.
He said the issue of illegal settling on wetlands was not only rife in Matabeleland but across the country.
“It is a national problem and we must deal with it and where possible, once all those wetlands are gazetted I am sure the respective authorities will tell us how best we can use those wetlands in an economic way. The other issue is, it is always good to remove the concrete jungle from those wetlands so that we do not disturb the ecosystem,” he added.
The Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) visited Kuwadzana Paddocks and Budiriro areas recently where these communities experienced flooding leaving the communities stranded and one death reported.
The Trust alleged that land barons take advantage of desperate house seekers and mislead them into illegal occupation of council and state land.
“The heavy rains that have fallen in Harare have exposed the corrupt for selling people residential stands on the natural water ways. The people who have settled on these wetlands and the sellers involved are equally culpable,” they said.
Land barons and corrupt council officials are allegedly selling land through illegal means and encouraging buyers to quickly build their houses so that they avoid being evicted once they settle as the Constitution states in Section 74 that there is freedom from arbitrary eviction.
“No person may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without a court order made after considering all the relevant circumstances,” it reads.–@NyembeziMu
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