The government has urged home-seekers to be cautious when buying residential stands or houses to avoid falling victim to land barons and having their properties demolished.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Zhemu Soda urged buyers to make sure that land acquisition applications are legitimate.
He made these comments during a media session focused on improving communication between journalists and Cabinet ministers, facilitated by Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere. Said Soda (via <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/govt-warns-home-seekers-against-short-cuts/">The Herald</a>):
<blockquote>
Whenever that is done irregularly, obviously the arm of the law will take its course. We want to encourage all home-seekers, despite their desperation, that the acquisition of stands and houses must be done properly.
</blockquote>
Soda said the government is currently addressing the issue of regularising dysfunctional settlements that arose from previous irregular constructions.
These settlements were created by peple who built homes without adequate support services such as roads, schools, and shopping centres. He said:
<blockquote>
We are grappling with that correction. We don’t want to repeat what happened previously.
Let us not construct where the stands would not have been acquired properly. Let’s desist from dealing with land barons. We must conduct thorough due diligence when acquiring land for construction.
</blockquote>
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The government tells people looking for homes to be careful when buying land or houses. They don't want buyers to be tricked by land barons or have their properties destroyed. The minister says it's important to check if the land is legal before buying. The government is fixing places where people built homes without proper facilities like roads and schools. They want to avoid mistakes from the past. They say people should do thorough research before buying land and not trust land barons. It's important to be cautious when getting land for building a home.

Government Urges Homeseekers To Exercise Due Diligence When Buying Residential Stands Or Houses

The government has announced a ban on the demolition of houses built on illegally acquired land without providing a four-month notice period.
This is meant to give affected property owners enough time to rebuild and ensure they have decent shelter for their families.
The announcement comes in response to the Harare City Council’s plan to demolish over 5,000 houses starting this week.
The council has already issued 48-hour eviction notices to residents whose homes are allegedly built without approval on land designated for public amenities.
The properties targeted include those in Mabelreign, Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Mabvuku, and Glen View.
However, in an interview with <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/no-demolition-without-four-months-notice-govt/">The Herald</a> last Friday, on the sidelines of the Institute of Architects of Zimbabwe meeting in Harare, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe criticized the City of Harare’s approach.
He condemned the demolitions, saying that residents should be given adequate notice before such actions are taken. Said Garwe:
<blockquote>
We are human beings, and every human being has a right to shelter. There is a lot of excitement from the City of Harare in terms of wanting to demolish people’s homes, they are playing to the gallery, condemning public officials and the Government that we are just issuing statements because there was the Extraordinary SADC Summit recently.
Yes, we appreciate that those houses were illegally built, people who were not following the laid down procedures, and people built on land set aside for other activities social amenities, schools and railway lines; we are aware of that as Government.
Give these people adequate notice to vacate those areas so that they can then come and demolish, while these people are properly settled elsewhere.
Give them three or four months’ notice; but they were giving them four days, five days. Who can build a house in four days in Zimbabwe, and then move to where it is built?
</blockquote>
Garwe, however, urged citizens to refrain from purchasing land from land barons, saying such transactions could lead to criminal charges for both buyers and sellers.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The government has made a rule that houses cannot be destroyed without giving a four-month warning. This is so people have enough time to find another place to live. The Harare City Council planned to destroy over 5,000 homes, but the government wants to stop them. The government thinks people should have more time to find a new home before their house is destroyed. Minister Garwe says people should not buy land from the wrong people because it is illegal and they could get in trouble. It is important for people to have a good home to live in.

Government Bans House Demolitions Without Four-Month Notice

Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, revealed that owners of over 100,000 illegally built houses in the capital are not paying rates to the city council.
In response to a prominent user on X (formerly Twitter) commenting on a Sunday Mail story about the City of Harare’s plan to demolish 5,000 illegally constructed houses, Mafume clarified that the number of illegal houses is actually much higher.
He added that these homes were built on land originally designated for schools, clinics, and sorting facilities.
Mafume also disclosed that the Harare City Council had suspended the demolitions due to the elections and the SADC summit. He wrote on X:
<blockquote>
These are built on schools, clinics, open spaces &amp; sports grounds. We stopped because of elections and the SADC. Children are forced to move 8 km to school. Clinics are non-existent. Houses are flooding. It has to be corrected…
The irregular settlements number over 100000 houses in and around Harare. 
The illegal houses will soon outnumber the legal rate-paying houses of Harare. The 322000 households we bill foot the bill for everyone!
</blockquote>
ZANU PF land barons have been implicated in the syndicates that has been illegally parcelling out land in the City. Said Mafume:
<blockquote>
They do not own the land. They seek no approval from anyone from start to finish. They just build at will and with no due care and regard.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Over 100,000 houses in Harare built illegally. Owners not paying bills. Houses on land meant for schools and clinics. Mayor stopped demolitions for elections and summit. Land barons involved in illegal land deals. Legal houses may soon be outnumbered. 322,000 households paying for everyone. Mayor says it must be fixed.

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