Suspected ZANU PF youths in Victoria Falls have blocked the local authority from selling 900 housing stands in the Kazungula area.
The ruling party youths accused the MDC Alliance-led council of using the stands for vote buying ahead of the general elections scheduled for August this year.
The council was supposed to vet home-seekers between 15 and 17 May but the process was called off following protests.
The protesting ZANU PF supporters were led by the party’s Hwange district co-ordinating committee member Veronica Malingo.
Councillor Nkanyiso Sibindi confirmed that the vetting process was stopped following the demonstration. Sibindi said:
After vetting 10 people at around 9 am, the process was suddenly stopped because ZANU PF youths had applied for a court interdict and also came to the venue.
They had applied for the demonstration, so they started to demonstrate and this forced us to abort the whole vetting process.
On 09 May, Malingo wrote to police seeking clearance to stage a demonstration at council offices to block the sale of stands.
The prices of the stands cost a minimum of US$12 000 each, with prospective buyers expected to pay between US$3 000 and US$5 000 for the servicing of their stands. The remainder was payable in 18 months.
The ever-growing housing waiting list in the country’s urban areas has created a fertile ground for corruption as land barons parcel out State land to desperate people.
In December 2022, Housing and Social Amenities Minister Danial Garwe said there will be strict enforcement measures in dealing with land barons. He said:
We are not backing off on the call to put an end to the land baron scourge which has led to urban sprawl therefore promoting the growth of unplanned settlements.
This will soon be a thing of the past as we work towards sanitisation which is supported by strict enforcement measures to ensure that we put an end to mushrooming settlements.
Garwe was speaking during an official handover ceremony of Millennium Heights Block 2, a project undertaken by West Properties, in Harare.
More: Pindula News