via Govt probes illegal stand allocations | The Herald November 1, 2013 by Tendai Mugabe
GOVERNMENT has ordered an immediate stop to construction work on illegally allocated stands and set up a team to investigate reports of wanton and illegal allocation of land in all towns and cities. The team — which would be led by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Deputy Minister Cde Joel Biggie Matiza — would start its investigations in Chitungwiza and Seke Rural District Council next week.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo said the investigations were necessitated by gross malpractices in the allocation of land that has spawned environmental risks.
“In the meantime, the ministry is directing that all construction work on illegally-allocated stands be stopped forthwith,” Minister Chombo said.
“Those who will choose to continue will not only be breaching the laws of the land, but risk losing their resources as some of their structures will have to be demolished.”
The team is expected to come up with recommendations that would guide the Government on the way forward.
The investigations begin in Chitungwiza and Seke where Government last year unearthed serious illegal parcelling of land in the two areas.
Minister Chombo said such illegal settlements exposed residents of Seke and Chitungwiza to communicable diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.
“Accordingly, this Press briefing has been necessitated by reports of rampant and wanton illegal settlements sprouting in Chitungwiza municipal area and Seke communal lands under Manyame RDC.
“A preliminary investigation carried out by my ministry in December 2012, unearthed serious irregularities regarding land use and management in the two local authorities.”
Minister Chombo said the situation in Chitungwiza and Seke was so deplorable that residential stands were being arbitrarily allocated all over including on wetlands, along power lines, cemeteries, pastures and land zoned for other uses. He said Government could not tolerate such unacceptable practices to continue.
As such, a strong team of professionals from the Local Government ministry would be examining the situation starting next week.
“In this regard, my ministry has set up a team of experienced professionals under the guidance of Deputy Minister Matiza to verify the exact state of affairs in the two local authority areas within the coming week,” he said.
The team, Minister Chombo said, sought to investigate the extent of the illegal land sales, allocations, development and usage and to establish the number and identity of individuals, co-operatives and developers involved.
The minister said the team would also verify the status of land that was illegally allocated in both Chitungwiza and Seke to determine the extent to which the illegal land allocation have impacted on spatial planning an corporate governance in the areas concerned.
Their terms of reference would also include verification of the registration status of co-operatives involved in the illegal land sales and establish the number of beneficiaries and how the same were selected.
“In the event that the beneficiaries paid some money to get the stands, to establish to whom the money was paid to and how the money so paid and was spend.”
Minister Chombo said Government remained committed to ensuring that citizens are afforded the opportunity to have access to serviced land for the purpose of building decent residential accommodation.
COMMENTS
How can a thief investigate his criminal master.
If chombo is genuinely concerned he should address water and sewerage problems bedevling us.Why did the minister wait for so long until the situation is as it is.Is he aware that all these illegalities occured under his town clerks and mayors that he imposed against the will of the people.Such structures have official offer letters implying if they are destroyed the local authorities are bound to compensate the owners.Rather than having your deputy run from pillar to post he should start by probing directors of engineering/planning and housing how this happened.it is the job of a responsible goverment to provide tha basic right to shelter than destroy.my minister reminds me of ugly days of murambatsvina where he destroyed homes and brought in one cosmetic garikai which never benefitted intended victims of his operation murambatsvina
For how long has Chombo been holding this Ministerial position? Was he not aware of all this? What has he been doing while all this has been happening? There are more questions than answers for sure.
We have to wonder about the qualifications of his “team of experienced experts”… The only experienced experts left the country long ago.
My opinion is that Chombo and his ilk are self-delusional and can not see the forest for its bushes… their world is so small, and they listen only to one another, so they protect themselves from having to confront the enormity of the problems they have caused.
ZANU used the stands to buy votes and now that it has won the elections it is reversing the process. Shame to you Chombo and your other ZANU murders, you do not have a single concern for the poor Zimbabweans. What ZANU ministers are concerned about is to continue spoiling their overfed, overweight spoiled families who live in Borrowdale Brooke. Here in Diaspora, l am even ashamed to call myself a Zimbabwean. It really does not make sense. How can 3 quarters of the national economy be personally owned by less than 500 people in a country with more than 15 million people?. This leaves 1 quarter of the Zimbabwean economy to 14 999 500. This situation will take time to reverse as the economy will still remain in the hands of their children after they are dead as Aids and Age is ravaging them. Zimbabwean economy needs to be retained to the hands of the Zimbabwean masses. This is the biggest warfare that as Zimbabweans we must start strategizing for. We need to repatriate back to Zimbabwe every externalized cent of Zimbabwe. As they die one by one we need to identify those who are inheriting the deeds of evil and force them by all means to retain them to Zimbabwean masses. After these murders are dead, it is going to be war against their families and childern.
Unless all ZANU PF leaders publicly condone violence and take responsibility for the actions of their activists, Zimbabweans will forever live with scars that have been with them in all election periods in Zimbabwe. It is then safe to say Mugabe cares less about his fellow black citizens as much as he does to people of different skin colour.
In national intersest the dear must also give us a convincing account of his increadible wealth.No ordinary citizen wouid just pop up a structure without blessings from zpf.u gulled us and now u thriw us away like cindoms
The carnibal might be having blessings from the head of state as a form of retribution unawares that its not all who voted against them out.u a even punishing us ur suppoters.not fists but intellect
Padzinovakwa vanenge varipi,Is Chombo leaving abroad,kujaira kudya mari dzavanhu muchiti regai vavake,mavhoterwa mahwina muda kurasisa vanhu,nxa mhani,Ndinorangarira kuBYO vagari vemuSizinda vakapiwa mari naJonathan Moyo kuchinzi vaite masmall business,That cheque was held till election results,paakaona kuti akundwa akabva aita avatorera. Pliz no more murambatsvina,ikozvino kunofiwa,tave nenew system,tichaita zvemheni chaiyo kwete kurwa nemaoko.
i hear minister chombo is one of the most corrupt. nw that the elections are over and they won, they want to act holier. why did they wait for so long. people were allocated these so called illegal stands by people in his ministry some of which chombo approved himself. i know the situation is out of hand but then what…..
Land is for all not for a certain group but that Chombo is just merciless