Invaders a threat to urban development
Sunday, 15 July 2012 11:10
BY TATENDA CHITAGU
MASVINGO — The Urban Council Association of Zimbabwe (Ucaz), has warned that
the expansion of cities and towns in the country to cater for a growing
population, is under threat from invaders who have illegally occupied most
of the land allocated to local authorities.
Ucaz president and Masvingo Mayor, Alderman Femius Chakabuda, told the
recent 70th AGM of the association that most farms allocated by the
government for expansion of urban areas had been illegally occupied.
He said the farms, which were allocated under the land reform programme, had
not yet been transferred to the respective local authorities due to
bureaucracy.
“A new problem has also arisen, where the same farms have been occupied by
new settlers,” said Chakabuda.
“In some instances, adjacent rural district councils are putting up
residential stands in those areas, with the hope of handing them over to
urban local authorities for service provision.”
He said some of the worst affected towns included Victoria Falls and Kariba,
where it would be expensive for the local authorities to remove land
invaders, as they were demanding compensation.
Chakabuda, who was retained as the Ucaz president at the AGM, also took a
dig at the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara) over unfair
distribution of funds.
“The management and distribution of road funds has been a nightmare,” he
said.
“The distribution is made on an unknown formula resulting in discrepancies.
Small RDCs get millions while cities and towns with tarred roads get
little.”