Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyers, in collaboration with the Harare City Council, are inviting sympathisers to provide humanitarian aid to over 90 families in Budiriro who were displaced by recent floods. The affected families are in urgent need of blankets, food, and accommodation. Those willing to help can contact the Harare City Council or ZIMRIGHTS organisations for assistance.
The houses affected by the floods are located in an area called Murazi, previously known as “kwaPeter,” at the end of Budiriro 4. In a joint statement, the local government authority and the ZIMRIGHTS Lawyers said:
Budiriro Floods Alert Over 90 families in Budiriro have been rendered homeless by floods. Urgent help is required in form of blankets, food and accommodation. Those willing to assist get in touch on the numbers below:
HARARE CITY COUNCIL – 0772430230
ZIMRIGHTS HARARE REGION – 0774358512
ZIMRIGHTS HEAD OFFICE – 0782767569
The incident has sparked public outrage, with some blaming those who allocated land in wetlands for the tragedy.
Darlington Chigumbu, the Member of Parliament for Budiriro South, called for decisive action against land barons who profited from the illegal sale of stands and corrupt officials who authorized these allocations. He said:
It is heart breaking that as leaders we subject the people we lead to such tragedies. Someone pocketed money through selling of these stands, Someone got a cut to authorise this illegality. Land barons must be dealt with decisively.
Others questioned whether the council is capable of meeting the demand for stands and suggested that they may be neglecting those on the waiting list while allocating land to unauthorised individuals.
Land barons have been illegally allocating land, including in wetlands, often with the assistance of corrupt council officials. Over the years, local government authorities have demolished thousands of houses built on illegally acquired or undesignated land.