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Tawanda Mangoma in CHIREDZI
Chiredzi Town Council has exhausted land for housing development despite having more than 20 000 prospective home owners on its waiting list. Council chairman Councillor Francis Moyo said in an interview recently that the town had no room for expansion following last year’s allocation of more than 600 high- density stands.

“Last year we allocated the last batch of 660 high-density (suburb) stands, which marked the end of our remaining piece of land,” he said.

“We had made plans through the district administrator to have some land transferred from Chiredzi Rural District Council but that process is still to yield results.”

Last year, a number of housing co-operatives operating in Chiredzi appealed to Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa to allocate council more land for expansion.

Cllr Moyo said their plans to attain municipal status by 2018 faced a setback if the pressing land crisis was not re- solved.

“More than 20 000 people have applied for stands. We no longer have land to allocate. It is our hope that Government will help us by transferring land for the benefit of the town.”

The urban council was targeting to be awarded a 20-kilometre-radius piece of land.

This appears to be failing as the rural district council has launched low- and high-density housing schemes within the area.

Chiredzi Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Isaac Matsilele said they were finalising the planning of the site with expectations of land development to start soon.

“We are finalising the planning model,” he said. “At first, this area had been planned for low-density suburb development, but we have recalculated and made a provision of having high-density stands.

“Our aim is working on that development and soon, land development will start.”