Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
All structures built on wetlands and river-banks should be demolished while local authorities and private developers found liable for the allocation of stands on unsuitable sites will be forced to compensate the affected homeowners.
Government which has noted with concern unending cases where land barons and local authorities across the country have been allocating unsuspecting home seekers land in wetlands and river banks has activated all its systems to guard its people against falling prey to unscrupulous land developers and local authorities.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister, Daniel Garwe yesterday in Gweru said it is the Government’s goal to get people relocated from stream banks and wetlands to safer areas as quickly as possible. Minister Garwe said Government and local authorities are going to identify land through the local authorities for resettlement.
Speaking after touring some of the settlements in Gweru yesterday, Minister Garwe said the Government is worried about the proliferation of housing structures in flood-prone areas. His visit follows the flooding of houses in Gweru following incessant rains that pounded city and the country at large since January.
Minister Garwe said the Government will look for alternative land to relocate those affected but the local authority and private players found liable for allocating stands in unsuitable land would be responsible for compensation to those who will be affected.
According to a report which was released by a provincial committee tasked to identify illegal structures recently, there are 100 settlements in the province of which 25 of them are on wetlands. Minister Garwe who toured Ascot Extension, Tinshel, Woodlands and Nashville suburbs said the local authority should start identifying alternative places to relocate residents in wetlands.
“We have visited wetlands. We have visited houses that were built on stream banks. We have visited houses built on dump sites and in terms of human settlement policy, the human settlement policy and the settlement mandate that was given by His Excellency on his statement on February 4 regarding the issue of land barons, regarding the informal and dysfunctional structures we are now saying category number one is to get the number of people relocated in stream banks and wetlands and relocate them to a safer area as quickly as we can then number two is identify land through the local authority and intently alternative land suitable for resettlement,” he said.
Minister Garwe said the country was working on achieving an upper middle-class economy by 2030 and hence the need to resettle people who are on wetlands and river banks as the country moves on to create smart cities. “Under the new concept where we want to relocate people, they will be predominantly high rising buildings.
We are following the policy on denitrification and these people will be relocated to those areas not for free.
They will pay but where they had built houses if the local authority was responsible for the allocation of the land on riverbanks and wetlands, the local authority takes full responsibility of compensating those people.
If it’s a private developer-cum land baron that land baron should compensate the people. Government has no apologies to make on that. We are saying whoever allocated people land there must compensate them for the new accommodation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Larry Mavima said Government will not wantonly destroy houses built on wetlands leaving the affected stranded.
He said the provincial committee will do due diligence and identify a new alternative place before taking action. “As a province we are up to the task. We started with identifying these illegal structures but we are not a cruel Government.
As a people-centred Government we will make sure that we will leave no stone unturned and those responsible for duping people will restitute the affected but at the same time we will not just demolish structures without identifying new places to relocate the affected,” he said.
Online Reporter