Ministry probes Gweru residential stands allocations

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has opened investigations into how residential stands were allocated by Gweru City Council (GCC) and land barons.

This comes amid indications that houses continue to be constructed in wetlands and unserviced areas.

GCC and some private land developers allegedly took turns to sell stands in wetlands, waterways and unserviced areas which don’t have drainage systems or water-ways — a development that has resulted in the flooding of the houses in the past two weeks.

The stands were allegedly sold for as much as US$5 000 to unsuspecting and desperate home seekers allegedly by both GCC and land barons.

The local authority working with the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) was forced to evacuate over 45 families to safe houses after flooding of the houses following incessant rains that were pounding the city.

Yesterday, Minister Moyo toured some of the areas affected by the floods to get the first-hand information of what could be the driving factors behind the humanitarian disaster.

Residents of Woodlands, Ascot, Mambo, Mkoba 4, Riverside, Nashville and Mtapa suburbs fought a losing battle trying to scoop water from their houses recently.

They lost property including food and some medicines after water flowed into their houses.

In an interview after his tour Minister Moyo said it was clear that most of the people who were affected in Gweru were allocated residential stands in wetlands and other undesignated areas while other private developers proceeded to parcel out stands in undeveloped areas.

“My Ministry has opened investigations into how Gweru City Council and some local private property development companies in the Midlands at large were allocating residential stands in wetlands, water ways and areas which had not been properly surveyed. That should not have happened and the people are now suffering,” he said.

“From our tour of the affected areas in Gweru, it was clear that the problem is that those who were affected were located in wetlands while other land barons just went on to parcel stands in areas which have not been developed.

It’s really sad and as the ministry we have launched some investigations so we can bring these land barons to book.”

Minister Moyo said his ministry has tasked the GCC to give a detailed report on how people were allocated residential stands in undesignated areas. “There are some who have not developed their areas but have proceeded to allocate stands before they swindle home seekers. We visited some residential areas and we got to a house which was literally dripping water from inside and you then wonder how this residential area was approved so we want to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

Minister Moyo said he has given council up to Wednesday to make a report so that the Government can take appropriate action while being guided by the report.

“We want to get to the bottom of it. We want these land barons to be brought to book. The responsible local authority should also be accountable. The question is how and why people were allowed to build houses on areas where no physical planning and surveys were done,” he said.

Minister Moyo said in some areas where the flooding occurred, the problems were solely centred on poor drainage systems.

“In some areas, what we discovered was that there were no proper storm drainages. These need to be upgraded to standard so that they can avoid floods. This was the recommendation we gave,” he said.

In Mambo, a Chronicle news crew witnessed a mother and her children standing in water in their two roomed house.

GCC working in partnership with the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) last week activated processes to mitigate against any loss of lives.

While no lives have been lost in the city to date, residents have lost property such as furniture, precast walls and food.

The floods have claimed the lives of six people including the driver Tinashe Chiwawa of Gweru City Council who drowned when the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by a flooded Gweru River recently.