Illegal Houses Won't Be Spared From Demolitions - Garwe
National Housing and Social Amenities minister, Daniel Garwe, Friday said all houses built on illegally allocated public land will be demolished as Government seeks to restore order in urban settlements.
The minister made the remarks on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ seminar organised by the Zimbabwe Builders and Contractors Association in Harare.
Garwe observed that land barons took advantage of an announcement by Government that it could consider regularising some illegal allocations and settlements and built new illegal structures. He said:
We are aware of what is happening in Harare now. There are areas reserved for recreational facilities and we have told local authorities not to sell that land and wetlands. These are not supposed to be destroyed by construction activities and the houses are not going to be spared from demolitions.
The reason why there were massive activities of construction in those areas is because the ministry announced that some homes were not going to be destroyed, but would be regularised and land barons took advantage and started constructing new structures.
Land barons have over the years been illegally acquiring land from local government authorities and would sell them to unsuspecting land seekers.
A number of council officials in a number of towns across the country have since been arrested and arraigned before the courts over their involvement in the illegal sale of land.
More: The Herald
