via Relief for Epworth residents 9 October 2014 by Nelson Sibanda
Demolition of ‘illegal’ structures in Epworth has been stopped. Dozens of structures were destroyed in recent midnight raids which left affected families without shelter.
Tafara Murambidzi, Epworth Local Board chairperson, said no more houses would be pulled down before alternative land had been secured.
“We demolished some houses recently to bring sanity in Epworth as people continued to build houses along river banks, in graveyards and football grounds without council planning permission,” Murambidzi said. “People aware of the intended regularisation are flocking to Epworth, taking advantage of the prevailing confusion to give the impression that they were residents.”
As part of regularisation of the ‘illegal’ settlements, the council now collects monthly service fees from residents.
“It would have been difficult for the Board to demolish structures regarded as illegal, since 95 percent of buildings in Epworth were built without approval,” said Peter Nyapetwa, Epworth Residents Development Association secretary.
Meanwhile, home seekers have accused Irene Zindi, former MP for Epworth-Hatfield, of swindling them of their hard earned money through a housing cooperative she set up during her 1995-2000 term of office.
Huge sums of money were collected, residents said, and private security companies would collect the cash from various collection points for banking.
Never Kamba, Combined Epworth Residents Trust founder and programs coordinator, said he witnessed Zindi initiating the cooperative and collecting contributions before disappearing.
“Zindi came up with a noble idea meant to provide shelter for the homeless, unfortunately she forgot to bring back the contributions after the project had failed,” Kamba said.
Zindi denied ever initiating a housing cooperative in Epworth, saying all she did was stop evictions of residents regarded as illegal settlers by the local authority. “If i swindled people’s money why did they not make a police report for the past 20 or so years?” she said.
Epworth residents continue to be swindled of cash by successive councils and land barons who promise them land and take their cash, only to disappear without delivering.
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