via Graceland sprouts all over the city 17 December 2014
Harare City Council is losing an average 10 pieces of land every day to Zanu (PF) cooperatives using Grace Mugabe’s name, says the deputy mayor, Thomas Muzuwa.
In the run-up to the party’s recent congress, several cooperatives invaded urban and peri-urban land and put up billboards announcing that the land belonged to Grace’s cooperatives. This was to scare away the local authority from taking action, as evicting the invaders and pulling down the boards would attract serious consequences from the authorities.
“People have taken advantage of the prevailing political situation to grab council land, especially towards congress. The situation has worsened with the conclusion of the congress as sign posts bearing the name ‘Graceland’ are now a common sight at the mushrooming illegal settlements,” said Muzuwa, adding that names of other nationalists were also being abused by the invaders.
Names such as Grace Mugabe, Gushungo, Nkomo, Takawira, Hebert Ushewekunze, Nehanda, Kaguvi and Chenjerai Hunzvi cooperative are common wherever there is an illegal settlement. The invasions are rampant in Glenview, Glen Norah and Budiriro, among other Harare suburbs.
Muzuwa said the local authority had no powers to remove a billboard or any post bearing Grace Mugabe’s name without paying the price. He said the fact that the high-profile people whose names were used to invade the land were keeping quiet gave the impression that they approved of the exercise, saying “Under normal situations one would raise eyebrows and complain when his name appears linked to illegitimate activities.”
Muzuwa said Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo should intervene and investigate the development, which continues to threaten all open space including those reserved for recreational purposes.
Harare’s housing waiting list has over 300,000 people and continues to swell every day. Home seekers have lost hope and resort to the invasions for faster solutions.
Though the town clerk, the mayor and the chamber secretary could not be reached for comment at Pandari Lodge where they were attending a workshop, sources at Town House said the invasions were fuelled by Grace’s condemnation of recent demolitions.
In September, the government ordered those who were illegally parcelling out un-serviced council land to stop the practice or face arrest. This followed the mushrooming of bogus housing cooperatives. Killian Mupingo, the permanent secretary for Local Government, recently warned of serious consequences for those grabbing land without following laid down procedures.
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