Back to Index

Harare City councillors vow to regain seized properties
NewsDay
October 16, 2013

https://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/10/16/harare-city-councillors-vow-regain-seized-properties

Harare City councillors, predominantly from the main opposition MDC-T, have renewed their fight to repossess several municipal properties which were seized by Zanu-PF activists a few years ago.

Housing and Community Development committee chairperson Charles Nyatsuro told NewsDay last Friday that the committee would soon engage Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs minister Miriam Chikukwa to facilitate the return of the properties which include Carter House, which provides overnight accommodation for travellers, Mupedzanhamo and Mbare Musika market stalls as well as several open spaces in the city.

“Our first area to look at is to make sure that we finish the unfinished business and that is of regaining our properties taken by Zanu-PF,” Nyatsuro said.

“We will engage everyone we should in this matter so that we get what belongs to us to enable the smooth operations of the council for the good of the residents.”

But Chikukwa yesterday said she was yet to get formal communication on the matter from council.

“I have heard nothing from council on that and I will wait until I get something, but like I always say, the campaign period has come and gone and we have to work together for the good of Harare despite our different political affiliations,” she said.

“We will sit down with them (council) and we want Harare to move forward. We should work together even with the media. You must stop being negative on everything because God does not like that. God is on our side and if we unite, we will be able to solve all the problems affecting Harare.”

Nyatsuro also said his committee would look at addressing the city’s housing backlog which currently stands at 500 000.

“We will take over from where former mayor Muchadeyi Masunda left in making sure that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project is undertaken and also that the Budiriro Housing Project materialises.

We want to deal with the housing backlog of more than 500 000 people who are on the council waiting list and make sure they all have houses,” he said.

The city housing shortage has in the past few weeks given rise to the mushrooming of illegal settlements mainly by Zanu supporters, but government immediately intervened and demolished the shacks.

Meanwhile, town clerk Tendai Mahachi yesterday threatened to cancel leases for individuals and companies not paying rentals at council properties.

He said the local authority was owed $9 million by its tenants.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP