Over 100 illegal houses face demolition

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Chitungwiza Municipality will demolish more than 100 houses that were built illegally next week under a programme expected to bring sanity to the town. The municipality said it will destroy houses built on land which was earmarked for churches, schools, cemeteries, drainage systems, electricity pylons and water pipes.

In a public notice, the acting town clerk Mrs Charity Maunga said all occupants who settled on illegal stands should vacate by not later than Sunday. She said failure to heed the call will result in council evicting the illegal occupants, as well as destroying their illegal structures.

“Whereas, Section 18 (2) and (3) of the Urban Council’s model — use and occupation of land and buildings by-laws of 1979, provides that if at anytime council is satisfied that there are persons using or occupying or erecting structures on otherwise by virtue of a lease or permission of council land which is vested in or controlled by council, council may serve notice on such users or occupants to vacate the land on not less than 48 hours failing which steps will be taken to evict them summarily,” read the notice.

“Council hereby gives the persons listed below further and final notice to vacate council property and remove their illegal structures and whereas the persons listed below are occupying, and have erected structures on land vested in council without permission from council.”

Mrs Maunga said the demolitions will go ahead as council first issued a notice of warning for the occupants to remove their illegal structures between March 21 and December 21 last year .

Last year, about 10 000 houses in Chitungwiza escaped demolition after an agreement was reached between one of the alleged land barons, Mr Fredrick Mabamba, and the cash-strapped council, with owners of the houses paying $1 500 in penalty fees.

A land audit conducted by the council recently revealed that some structures in St Mary’s, Seke, Manyame, Nyatsime, Unit L and Riverside were built on land earmarked for churches, schools, cemeteries, drainage systems, electricity pylons and water pipes.

About 1 500 stand owners in areas such as Nyatsime with offer letters from council have failed to occupy their stands after some land barons took over the land and parcelled it out to desperate home-seekers.