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Mr Pawadyira

Lovemore Meya Herald Correspondent
Some unruly elements in Chitungwiza are reportedly occupying open spaces ahead of the land identification and regularisation process being spearheaded by the recently appointed caretaker commission.

The commission is assessing all illegal land transactions which had become rampant in the dormitory town. The new wave of land invasions is said to be taking place in Units J and H.

In an interview yesterday, caretaker commission chairperson Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira said the unlawful occupants would be dealt with. “On regularisation, I know that there will be some opportunists who try to do one thing or another to try and beat the system,” said Mr Pawadyira. “We are talking to people on the ground, including the youths and other groups who are organised.

“We have said the process of regularisation only pertains to those stands which were wrongly acquired in the past. We did not and we are not going to tolerate any fresh invasion.

“People should know that no new invasions will be entertained, where they occur we will simply ask the same people to remove their struc- tures.”

Mr Pawadyira said there were no short-cuts to the regularisation exer- cise. “We are finding areas which had already had some structures and those will be subjected to the same standards of regularisation that include the payment of a fine to council,” he said.

“We are evaluating to see whether there is a way of accommodating some of the claims so that they will become part and parcel of the approved pool of stands. But where we find out that there are developments or intentions to develop in new areas, we are stopping any such developments.”

Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) spokesperson Mr Marvelous Kumalo said the new wave of land invasions was threatening the dormitory town, 25km from Harare.

“In this window period of uncertainty where the residents and other stakeholders are not clear of the status of the suspended councillors and their failure to locate the role of the caretaker council in the improvement of service delivery and restoring order in the town, some unscrupulous elements are involved in illegal activities such as invading and developing open spaces into residential areas,” he said.

“Chitrest has witnessed a new wave of land invasions in some parts of Unit J, adjacent to Surface Wilmar Invest- ments.” Zanu-PF Youth League secretary for administration in Harare province, Cde Tawanda Alexander Kadengu, disowned those invading the land.

“We are not part of the invasions because we approached the commission which also visited our areas for regularisation,” he said.