Residents Stampede To Join Homeseekers4ED For Residential Stands
Hundreds of Marondera residents are registering to join the Homeseekers for Economic Development (Homeseekers4ED) organisation, which is linked to Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU PF. Scores of home-seekers who have been on the council housing waiting list for several years gathered at Mbuya Nehanda Hall to discuss various issues, including identifying idle land for residential purposes. Marondera’s housing waiting list has over 15,000 people.
The Homeseekers4ED group says it aims to provide residential stands to people who have been waiting on council housing lists for several years and is registering people across the country in anticipation of its national launch this month. The organisation’s vice-chairperson, Farai Nyandoro, said that they are identifying idle land suitable for residential purposes and addressing challenges faced by residents to secure stands.
Homeseekers4ED is also lobbying for the government to take over the allocation of stands due to alleged corruption, sexism, favouritism and nepotism in the allocation of stands by opposition-run councils. Nyandoro said:
The response is overwhelming and it shows urbanites are fed up with cheap politics by opposition parties. Marondera residents are fed up with the politics of song and dance.
We are making sure urbanites get stands which have been used as a political weapon by opposition-run councils. We also want to redress artificial shortages in the allocation of housing stands by opposition-run urban councils.
Moreover, we are lobbying that the government takes over the allocation of stands because of the current corruption, sexism, favouritism and nepotism in the allocation of stands by opposition-run councils. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is saying ‘leave no one behind’, hence we are supporting his idea by creating a database for those in need of shelter.
The group has been launched in Chitungwiza, Norton, Chegutu, Mabvuku, Epworth, and other places.
