ED says top government officials are the land baro...

ED says top government officials are the land barons

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday has blamed the unending problem of unregulated settlements on top government officials saying they are part of the rotten mess.

“I have realized that the people I send to solve the issue of land barons are also involved. They cannot arrest themselves because they are thieves,” President Mnangagwa saidin his speech at the official opening of Aspindale Park and Aspire Heights Development yesterday in Harare.

Harare has been the epi-centre of illegal and unregulated settlements with some unwary citizens having to watch their constructions get demolished after paying land barons without doing due diligence.

Government policy states that land cannot be parceled out before requisite infrastructure has been put in place. But the country has a backlog of housing pegged at around 2 million units creating fertile ground for manipulation of home seekers and abuse of office by government officials.

In spite of the government expressing the intent to rein in land barons, unregulated settlements continue to sprout in the capital city.

“I have seen some of the settlements when I am flying out of the country. Some of the houses are so small and I wonder if there are any toilets there. I also wonder if they have addresses. I am sure most of the people use their memory to locate them. We do not want such settlements,” he said.

Such settlements with no proper planning are a health hazard waiting to explode with residents relying on unprotected water sources which carry a high risk of contamination due to zero sewer infrastructure and haphazard waste management.

“Trends show that once housing and infrastructure growth are accorded an integral part in development, a nation is better poised to effectively implement its economic production and productivity mix…… To this end, the prioritisation of backbone infrastructure such as water, health, waste management, transport and other related services is critical,” said President Mnangagwa.