Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube
VICTORIA Falls City Council has once again suspended sale of unserviced housing stands which had been scheduled for yesterday, after residents opposed the process with some approaching the High Court seeking an interdict to stop the exercise.
Residents want council to consult them before coming to a resolution as they fear ordinary homeseekers would be prejudiced of their right to access stands if the sale proceeds under the current conditions.
Victoria Falls Watchdog, a civic group that was established in March this year made an urgent chamber application for an interdict at the High Court in Bulawayo (Case Number HC (UCA) 62/2023) through their lawyers Mhaka Attorneys and served the council management with the application yesterday morning.
No order has been granted yet.
Hundreds of homeseekers gathered at the council housing offices in Chinotimba yesterday with some spending the night in the queue on Sunday.
Council had advertised that it would start vetting homeseekers yesterday until Friday with beneficiaries expected to pay US$3 000 and US$5 000 deposit for high-density and medium-density stands respectively with the remaining balance of US$5 000 and US$7 000 payable over a period of 18 months.
Residents complained that the cost of the stands was too high and the deposit was beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
Separately, the Zanu-PF Hwange District Coordinating Committee and Victoria Falls Watchdog approached council last month to express concern over the issue and 765 letters of objection were written by residents calling on council to stop the sale of stands before addressing the concerns.
Victoria Falls Watchdog also prepared a petition which was signed by 1 240 residents calling on council to stop the process.
Yesterday, the ruling party youths, joined by some residents, held a peaceful demonstration at the council offices resulting in a closed door meeting between council and the Joint Operations Command.
“We want the council to review the prices so that they are pro-poor and transparency with the waiting list. We can’t have someone who applied to be on the waiting list in 2000 competing with someone who applied last year.
“The council doesn’t need a pay slip when one pays to be on the waiting list but they’re demanding it for one to be vetted which means the majority of residents will not benefit because they are mere vendors,” said Zanu-PF Hwange DCC Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Veronica Maligo.
Council had issued more than 150 application forms to residents yesterday when the exercise was stopped.
Victoria Falls Watchdog chairman Mr Gershom Dlamini informed homeseekers that the process would not continue due to the urgent application.
The council used a hailer to announce that the process had been suspended indefinitely and people dispersed.
In the urgent application, Victoria Falls Watchdog spokesperson Mr Madubeko Ncube is the applicant while the council is the respondent.
The applicant stated that residents are aggrieved by the market value and conditions for the sale of residential stands as supported by objection letters from homeseekers.
He said ordinary residents’ constitutional right to shelter would be infringed if the sale continued hence the relief sought to stop the sale of stands which should be resumed after reasonable conditions of the sale have been preferred.
The applicant said the conditions of sale are superfluous and ridiculous compared to other councils, as prices of stands cost three times the cost of stands in other cities which is unrealistic.
“Our grievances are clear. The council charges residents willy-nilly but this time we want all this corruption to stop. We met the Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube and Mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini and expressed residents’ concerns and asked them to reduce prices as we are still suffering effects of Covid-19 and many have no disposable income. To us these conditions are only meant to elbow out ordinary residents.
“We’re against the idea of hiring outside contractors when we have engineers in council. They should buy equipment and service the stands to reduce costs. So our position is that if they address these issues they can sale the stands even today,” said Mr Ncube.
Some Government workers from various departments also complained about lack of transparency saying they risk being left out.
The Mayor said a special council meeting would be held today to map the way forward.
“We have put the process on hold for the time being and we will have a special council meeting tomorrow (today) to discuss how best we can make the whole process effective. Today everyone gathered at the council offices and some were threatening to demonstrate and so we will discuss this tomorrow but our wish is to reduce the housing backlog that is now at 24 000,” said Clr Dlamini.
Asked about the court application, he said: “Housing delivery is council duty and no one else’s and can’t be stopped especially if it’s a resolution. We don’t have an authentic court order for now and what we were served with is an application which is not even singed by the High Court Registrar or judge.” — @ncubeleon
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