Chitungwiza illegal settlers to pay S$2000 for reg...

Chitungwiza illegal settlers to pay S$2000 for regularization

Audrey Galawu

Chitungwiza Municipality has resolved to regularise illegal residential and commercial settlements in the town.

“Council is losing revenue through unregistered settlements and their contribution to the council coffers could be used toward developing infrastructure,” said Acting Mayor Clr Kiven Mutimbanyoka.

Council says owners of both commercial and residential unregularised properties in four districts - Zengeza, St Mary’s, Seke South and Seke North, will pay US$1 936 or the equivalent for regularization.

“All those who pay from October 7, 2022, will enjoy a discounted amount of US$968, with a target of 5 000 housing units,” said Clr Mutimbanyoka.

Clr Mutimbanyoka said some properties will not be regularized as the Department of Public Works will inspect all applications to qualify the ones fit for formalisation.

“.. there is no way we are going to regularise a house built under Zesa pylons, over sewer pipes or in road servitudes. We will only accommodate that which can be regularized,” he said.

Ward 2 Cllr John Matiyenga said the operation is also targeting elimination of illegal activities linked to unplanned settlement in the town.

“Due to the absence of council master plans, land barons, politicians grabbed the opportunity to amass ill-gotten wealth. As we speak, dysfunctional settlements are the order of the day in towns such as Chitungwiza. We have over 52 000 illegal settlements in Harare province,” Muguti said.

“Some have no documents and some have corrupt documents. In Chitungwiza, we have 25 000. Government is having a headache trying to clear a mess that has been created by some opportunists who are not even council workers or government officials.”

According to Muguti, Chitungwiza has been operating without a master plan since 1996.

“This saw the local authority facing a lot of challenges, chief among them uncontrolled development,” he said

He also said this is the reason why the local authority continuously demolishes illegal structures to restore sanity because some of the stands were being allocated on wetlands.

Recently, Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution Secretary, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, criticised invasion of institutional and recreational stands which have been turned into residential properties.