Illegal State land sales: Authorities cries foul

LOCAL authorities here yesterday cried foul over the illegal sale and allocation of urban State land in the province, which resulted in them losing millions of dollars in development levies.

Presenting insights into the state of affairs in their respective local authorities before the Justice Tendai Uchena-led Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of State Land in and around urban areas since 2005 – at the Government Complex in Gweru – local authorities’ said the sprouting of suburbs or settlements around their jurisdictions was exerting pressure on on-site and off-site infrastructure.

The local authorities represented were Gweru City Council, Shurugwi and Zvishavane Town Councils, Runde, Vungu, Tongogara and Chirumhanzu Rural District Councils.

Gweru town clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza said her local authority, which has 33 000 houses on its books, was expecting an additional 14 000 houses from private land developers whom she accused of failing to support council in off-site and on-site infrastructure developments.

“Several housing developers in Gweru resulted in setting up of settlements in areas such as Hertfordshire, Bucks Farm, Woodlands and Brook lands among others. These developers fail to put schools, clinics, road, water and sewer infrastructure and pressure in now put on Gweru City Council. We are pumping 60 megalitres of water a day which is no longer sufficient because of these private land developers who just come up with suburbs or settlements without supporting off-site infrastructure,” she said.

Ms Gwatipedza said in Woodlands suburb, the roads put by the land developer were very narrow and council refuse collection trucks were failing to manoeuvre.

Vungu RDC chief executive officer Mr Alex Magura said they were not consulted when the private land developers landed in his district.

He said council had lost potential revenue in layout plans and design approvals.

“We are now working with City of Gweru so that we have a Memoranda of Agreement on how to engage these private land developers because at the end of the day we have to provide services to these people,” he said.

Zvishavane Town Council secretary Mr Tinoda Mukutu said they had been taken to court by some private land developers to force them to approve their plans as well as provide service delivery.

“Private land developers came and didn’t consult or involve us in their plans and now they are suing us, demanding that we approve designs and plans yet we were prejudiced of potential revenue,” he said.

Tongogara RDC chief executive officer Mr Brian Rufasha said illegal developments were rife in his area which was also prejudicing his local authority of thousands of dollars in potential revenue.

Today the commission heads to Zvishavane and has already completed its work in several provinces, including Masvingo, Harare and Manicaland.