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Felex Share Herald Reporter
Government has ordered residents who are illegally parcelling out unserviced council land in Harare to stop doing so, warning they face arrest for engaging in such “illegal and corrupt” activities.The warning comes after some unscrupulous people were accused of forming pseudo-co-operatives to parcel out unoccupied council land in the past few days.

Residents who lead the exercises are reportedly demanding a non-refundable registration fee of between US$10 and US$20, which Government described as corruption.

The situation is rampant in high density areas such as Glen View, Glen Norah, Budiriro, Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza and the culprits are targeting open spaces between residential areas.

Secretary for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Mr Killian Mupingo yesterday said anyone grabbing land without following laid down procedures required for one to own a stand should stop or face the consequences.

He said individuals were not supposed to take a lead in allocating land that belongs to council adding that his ministry had dispatched officials to work with local authorities to put an end to the illegal activities.

“It is about planning and order not what we are hearing is taking place in the city,” he said.
“Matters of land in a defined local authority area are not reposed in individuals but are to be executed by mandated institutions. No individual should take a responsibility that is not his or hers.”

Mr Mupingo said home-seekers wishing to own a stand should join legal housing co-operatives or buy directly from local authorities.
“We have the necessary legislative instruments that guide us in terms of land allocation or distribution,” he said.

“We have in place the Regional Town and Country Planning Act, the Urban Councils Act and Rural District Councils Act. All these instruments define planning in local authorities. All those residents who had been allocated in those illegal stands should stop developments on that land because anyone who will be caught will be prosecuted.”

A council official who preferred anonymity for professional reasons said under the Regional Town and Planning Act, any acquisition of land could be by way of purchase, exchange, donation or other agreement with the owner of the land, who is council in this case.

“There are environment and health issues taken into consideration and we wonder where this is coming from and who is sanctioning that,” said the official.

“The Act confers the land-use planning function on urban local authorities and regulates the development of master and local plans; subdivisions, consolidation, acquisition and disposal of land. We are working with ministry officials to put an end to this but I feel pity for those who will be caught on the wrong side of the law.”

The Environmental Management Agency has also expressed concern with the development saying it was illegal for residents to embark on housing projects without the organisation’s approval.

An environmental impact assessment report needs to be carried out before stands are developed as it articulates how solid and liquid waste would be managed as well as what open spaces should be left.

A survey by The Herald showed that several open spaces, belonging to council, had been parcelled out. In Chitungwiza, residents have pegged stands in areas such as Unit A,C,K, Zengeza and St Mary’s while the situation is the same in most western suburbs .

“We are paying US$10 as registration fee for one to be allocated a stand,” said one resident, a stand ‘beneficiary’ at an open space in Glen Norah A opposite the Glen View Area 8 home industrial site.

The resident declined to reveal the names of the people who were leading the allocations. Other residents said they were now suspicious as the amounts they were paying as registration fees for the same stands varied.

“At first some people paid US$5 and the amount increased within hours and we now feel that we were duped,” another resident said.
“We might be making some people rich but we wait to hear council position with regards to the stands.”

Zanu-PF, in its election manifesto has promised to address the housing challenges being experienced in urban areas in an orderly manner despite the illegal sanctions affecting the country.

Reads part of the manifesto: “A National Housing Policy, launched by the Government in 1999 with the aim of surpassing the Millennium Development Goals, was immediately checkmated by the illegal sanctions before it could make any progress.

“After the forthcoming elections, the Zanu PF Government will embark on a vigorous housing programme to address the housing backlog of 1,25 million using financial resources from assets to be unlocked from the indigenisation of foreign-owned companies.”