Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
The year 2015 could easily be described as the year Government finally decided to deal with Harare’s land barons, who were fleecing unsuspecting home seekers of thousands of dollars by parcelling out stands on State or council land designated for other uses.

While addressing a luncheon after the official opening of the 3rd session of the 8th Parliament, President Mugabe lamented the havoc being caused by land barons.

“Barons, barons, barons. Don’t steal people’s land and money. Do unto others what you want them to do to you. Do not steal; and corruption is brutal to the nation,” President Mugabe said.

The arrest of land barons, corrupt councillors and council officials, the suspension of Gweru Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi and his entire council and Government’s rolling out of a major housing scheme were some of the highlights of 2015 in the Local Government sector.

Government embarked on a crackdown against land barons who were illegally selling State and council land to unsuspecting members of the public.

A number of people lost their money in such deals, with more than 8 000 having reported their cases to the police and more than 15 suspected land barons being investigated. Some of the cases are still pending in the courts.

The illegal selling of land was rampant especially in Harare South and Chitungwiza.

Housing cooperatives involved in the illegal land deals include Ebenezar, Bhora Mugedhi, Musha Mukuru and Tinotenda Baba.

Recently President Mugabe took to task two Government ministers over an illegal residential settlement that mushroomed near the Harare International Airport, asking them to explain why it was allowed to crop up.

The settlement was being administered by a housing cooperative calling itself Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative, but gives a view of a haphazard “squatter camp” as it is largely composed of makeshift houses.

President Mugabe, who was cutting the ribbon to officially open the first phase of Joshua Nkomo Expressway (formerly Harare International Airport Road), looked at the settlement and was not impressed. He said the settlement tarnished the image of the country and the settlers should be immediately relocated.

The scourge of illegal settlements precipitated by the activities of the land barons and the non-development of land by housing cooperatives and land developers led Government to introduce a new housing scheme known as Own-Your-Own-Home Contributor Scheme to meet Zim-Asset targets.

The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing says the Own-Your-Own-Home Scheme seeks to meet targets set under Zim-Asset. Under Zim-Asset, the Government expects to provide up to 300 000 residential stands by 2018.

The scheme is anchored on member contributions to leverage finance, while the ministry will provide the land and infrastructure services which will be kick started by the construction of a mix of two to three-bedroomed flats in Dzivaresekwa, Mabvuku /Tafara for low income earners and Prospect for medium income earners.

Of the 2 380, 800 units will be in Dzivaresekwa, 700 units in Mabvuku/Tafara and 880 in Prospect.

The flats in Dzivaresekwa, Mabvuku and Tafara will be four-storey walk up flats while the Prospect flats will be 10 storeys and will be fitted with elevators.

The year also witnessed the appointment of Cde Saviour Kasukuwere as the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, taking over from Dr Ignatius Chombo who was appointed Home Affairs Minister.

On his first meeting with Harare City Council councillors and officials, Cde Kasukuwere ordered the Harare city authorities to stop corruption and concentrate on delivering services to residents in line with Zim-Asset.

The country’s economic blueprint advocates, among other things, efficient service delivery.

In his endeavour to fight corruption, Cde Kasukuwere suspended all the 18 Gweru councillors, including the mayor and his deputy, on allegations of gross misconduct and mismanagement of council funds and affairs.

The suspensions followed investigations by the ministry’s audit team, including three Zanu PF councillors in Gweru urban.

“Pursuant to the investigations carried out at Gweru City Council, which revealed your involvement in gross mismanagement, gross misconduct, incompetence in connection with council funds and affairs, I hereby, in terms of Section 114 (1) (c), (d) and (i) (ii) of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15), suspend you from being a councillor of Gweru City Council with immediate effect,” part of the suspension letter, dated August 12, reads.

Several Harare City Council bigwigs were also arrested and appeared in court for allegedly siphoning $200 000 from Harare Municipality Medical Aid Society (HMMAS) by awarding themselves hefty sitting allowances. The matter is still pending before the courts.

The issue of prepaid water meters also took centre stage in most local authorities with most residents associations resisting plans by councils to adopt the new technology although Government gave local authorities the nod for the installation of prepaid water meters in all urban centres.

However residents and human rights organisations tried to resist the move describing it as anti-poor.

Harare City Council is however forging ahead with plans to introduce prepaid water meters.

The issue has met some resistance from residents associations who demonstrated at a full council meeting but the city believes the pressure groups are not giving a true reflection of the residents’ sentiments on the issue saying they are “serving their donors’ agenda.

The city will embark on a water meter pilot project in January targeting the Avenues area and other commercial properties in the city.

Bulawayo City Council has also vowed to go ahead with its plans to install prepaid water meters despite fierce resistance from residents as they view it as the only way to increase revenue.

Bulawayo residents took to the streets to demonstrate against prepaid water meters.

Gweru City Council will also soon install prepaid water meters in a bid to improve revenue collection and curb defaulting residents who fail to settle water bills.

The year also saw Government introducing a new performance based allowance structure for mayors and councillors of local authorities. Under the new system, councillors and mayors of performing rural and urban councils will be rewarded.

Local authorities who collect more revenue get more allowances. For example Harare collected $170 million last year of which $119 million (70 percent) is for service delivery and from the remainder councillors get 2, 25 percent.

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